Sidonie Smith and Adam Garcia in the 2026 UK tour of The Bodyguard. The musical’s North American tour runs from Oct. 23 – 25 at the Providence Performing Arts Center. Photo credit: Paul Coltas
Who could have possibly anticipated the onslaught of screen-to-stage productions that started when the 1937 film Nothing Sacred, a critically acclaimed screwball comedy, was adapted into the Broadway musical Hazel Flagg in 1953. This is particularly so considering that it received mixed reviews, struggled at the box office, and ended up having a relatively short run.
Well, major film studios like Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. not only anticipated the onslaught but were largely responsible for it.
It didn’t take long for them to realize that their extensive cinematic libraries and massive intellectual property holdings had built-in brand recognition that could be leveraged as commercial theater productions. In the nearly 80 years since the first Tony Award, over 100 new Broadway musicals were adapted from films, 41 of which were nominated for Best Musical and 15 won, including Hairspray, Kinky Boots and, most recently, The Outsiders.
Not on that list of award-winning movicals is The Bodyguard.
The 1992 Warner Bros. film turned 2012 stage musical has a book by Alexander Dinelaris and a score built around iconic Whitney Houston hits like “I Will Always Love You,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and “Queen of the Night.” The story centers on pop star diva Rachel Marron, who is being stalked by a crazed fan. A former Secret Service agent-turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect her and her young son. Of course, the initially distant work relationship turns stormy and then steamy.
Not only did this production not win the Best Musical Tony Award, it was never nominated because it did not make it to Broadway – which makes it an odd addition to the Providence Performing Arts Center’s Broadway series. The show did play in London’s West End, but it won no Laurence Olivier Awards.
It is easy to understand why.
Reviews of the London production and the original 42-city U.S. tour, which came through Providence in 2018, praised the powerhouse vocals of the lead performers and the same Grammy-winning Whitney Houston soundtrack from the film. But they noted that the plot and dialogue struggled with the same predictable, highly formulaic clichés as the film. The tour was particularly called out for the over-the-top staging of the concert scenes that likened the production values to a third-rate Vegas show.
A new, re-envisioned North American tour is in the makings and will be coming to PPAC in late-October, to be spearheaded by seasoned New York director Samantha Saltzman, given new choreography by the award-winning Jim Cooney, and placed under the music supervision of Broadway-tested Darryl Archibald.
Specifics about the re-envisioning are few, but one glaring detail of note is that this time around the tour will be non-union. This means that, among other things, the show will be infused with less financial backing than the previous tour.
Actors in non-union tours receive less compensation and benefits than those in an Equity union production which, in part, explains the relatively inexperienced Brooke Bailey (most recently an ensemble member and understudy in the national tour of TINA – The Tina Turner Musical) as Rachel Marron and Jonathan Blansfield (making his American professional theater debut) as Frank Farmer. But non-union tours are incredible if less lucrative opportunities for young talent to prove themselves, and many cast members in The Bodyguard claim this production to be their first national tour experience.
Non-union tours also require a more exhausting performance schedule for these actors, entailing shorter stays in its 50 destination cities and more travel by bus than by plane. This cast will be opening the show on Oct. 15 in Toledo, OH with six performances in four days and then drive six hours to Elmira, NY for two performances in two days. It will then drive five-and-a-half hours to Providence to perform five times in three days.
Non-union also suggests doing more with less of a production budget. Christine Peters and Craig Stelzenmuller will be stepping up as directors of scenic design and lighting design, respectively, after serving as associate directors in recent productions. Sound designer Joshua D. Reid and costume designer Whitney Locher will also be contributing to what the press release notes will be “fresh design aesthetics, featuring entirely new visual and auditory packaging.”
Being on the front end of a newly launched, re-envisioned national tour gives us Rhodies much to look for during those five performances at PPAC.
Although the travel requirements are exhausting, the actors will have only been on the road for a week, so expect spirited, high-energy performances.
But because the show has only been on the road for a week, it will be interesting to see if all the technical kinks have been worked out of all the new design aesthetics.
Also, have the performers established a rapport with one another that makes their characters’ relationships – particularly the I hate you/I love you emotions between Rachel and Frank – seem believable?
Of course, for long-time season subscribers, the key thing to look for is whether this reenvisioned version of The Bodyguard is an improvement over the last.
The Bodyguard runs from Oct. 23 – 25 at the Providence Performing Arts Center, 220 Weybosset St, PVD. Contact ppacri.org or 401-421-2787 for tickets, $56 – $97, includes fees.
Bob Abelman is an award-winning theater critic who also writes for The Boston Globe. Connect with him on Facebook.