In all honesty, I did not have a clue what the plot line was - and in retrospect, I’m glad I managed to keep myself in the dark about it! I won’t spoil it for anyone else, but I’ll tell you this: there is a creepy stalker man who absolutely TERRIFIED me! The fact I didn’t know what was happening meant that there was a perfect amount of suspense (although I must admit, I was so scared that in the interval I googled a synopsis so that I was prepared for the second half!). Ben Richards’ sullenness and slightly intimidating stance made the whole show considerably more intense, and I would go as far as to say that his performance was one of the best I’ve seen so far this year. And my goodness, if Matthew Stathers (who plays ‘The Stalker’) hadn’t been smiling and laughing throughout the curtain call, I would have been worried he would come to my house and kidnap me - his performance was that realistic!
Let’s talk about Beverley Knight for a second - what a dream! I saw her as Grizabella in Cats a while back, and while she wasn’t my favourite Grizabella that I’d ever seen, she still astounded me, and she really has found a place in my theatrical heart after last night’s performance. I get the impression she doesn’t quite know how good she is, because she looked almost surprised when people cheered for her at the end! The other two stand-out performances were from Rachel John (Nicki) and Keaton Edmund (Fletcher). Rachel John’s voice is absolutely beautiful - as my sister said, she sounds like a younger Beverley Knight, which works with the storyline well! And what can I say about Keaton Edmund? Every time he was on stage, he absolutely owned it; his dancing was on point, his American accent was better than some of the adult cast, and his acting was better than any other young performer I’ve ever seen - I am thoroughly, thoroughly impressed!
Karen Bruce has done an absolutely stellar job with the choreography - as a dancer myself, choreography is always one of the main things I look out for in a show, so generally if I think the dance is sub-standard, I think the same about the show on the whole! Luckily for Karen Bruce, I think quite the opposite - her choreography absolutely lifted the show and made it dynamic and exciting to watch.
The Bodyguard is a great night out, whether you want a little adrenaline rush, or a party in your seat! Never, EVER, have I been so tense in a theatre - and I absolutely LOVED it!