Next week, the 72nd Ljubljana Festival offers us the chance to enjoy a wonderful story complete with unforgettable songs from a universally beloved film, as the musical The Bodyguard, directed and choreographed by Mykal Rand, who is already well known to fans of West End musicals, comes to Ljubljana. The Bodyguard opens at the Križanke Summer Theatre on 15 July and continues until 19 July. All performances start at 9.00 pm.
The Bodyguard stage musical made its debut in London’s West End in 2012. With a book by Alexander Dinelaris, the musical is based on the hit 1992 film The Bodyguard starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner and tells the story of Rachel Marron, a famous pop star who becomes the target of a stalker, and Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service agent with a steadfast commitment to his duty, who is hired to protect her.
The film version of The Bodyguard grossed $411 million worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 1992. Its soundtrack album became the bestselling soundtrack album of all time, with sales of over 45 million copies worldwide, and won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. The singles I Have Nothing and Run to You received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
The musical also features songs recorded by Whitney Houston, including the hits I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and I Will Always Love You. The last of these was written and originally sung by Dolly Parton. Following the release of the film, Whitney Houston’s version of the song became a worldwide hit. To date, the musical version of The Bodyguard has played to over 3.6 million people in 15 countries and 45 US cities.
The production coming to the Križanke stage is directed and choreographed by the acclaimed British performer and creative Mykal Rand, who has already staged several successful musicals in Ljubljana. The main roles will be performed by Rhianne-Louise McCaulsky, who has appeared in productions such as Tina: The Tina Turner Musical and The Book of Mormon, and Norman Bowman, an actor who combines theatrical work with film and television roles.
Mykal Rand told us: “I can hardly wait to introduce our leading lady to the audience. When she came to audition for the part of Rachel Marron, I felt from the moment she walked in that we were in the presence of a star. She literally shines, there’s no doubt about it. She’s incredible, her voice is amazing, she dances wonderfully and she’s an excellent actress. Yes, she’s a true star, so this was a really special and exciting moment for me, because I knew that we’d be coming to the festival with such a wonderful actress in the starring role.”
