Bodyguard makes way for Made in Dagenham at Adelphi?

WhatsOnStage Award-winning musical The Bodyguard will close at the Adelphi Theatre in August to make way for fellow screen-to-stage show Made in Dagenham, according to the Daily Mail.

Beverley Knight, who is currently starring as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, will reportedly leave the show on 31 May to star in the West End premiere of Tony Award-winning musical Memphis, which opens at the Shaftesbury Theatre in October.

But it might not be quite the end of the road for The Bodyguard. The Mail's Baz Bamigboye reports: "If they can re-cast with as high a calibre of performer as Beverley and find a new West End home by September, then The Bodyguard could enjoy a further two to three-year run."

And he hints there's a venue in the "West-Central district of London that might be free".

Based on the hit 1992 film which starred Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, 'The Bodyguard'' sees former Secret Service agent Frank Farmer hired to protect superstar singer Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge – what they don't expect is to fall in love.

Directed by Thea Sharrock, the score features a multitude of Houston's greatest hits, including "Queen of the Night", "So Emotional", "One Moment in Time", "Saving All My Love", "I'm Your Baby Tonight", "Run to You", "I Have Nothing", "How Will I Know", "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" and "I Will Always Love You".

Made in Dagenham dramatises the Ford sewing machinists strike of 1968 that aimed for equal pay for women. The film was released in 2008 starring Sally Hawkins.