I completely agree with LIz from Northhampton,I also went to the evening show on the night of 25th March,having already given away 2 matinee tickets that I bought even before the show opened,but of course was not told at the time of purchase that HH does NOT appear at matinees which I am sure she must have had written into her contract,so after much painfully researched for her appearance days I settled for the 25th,only to find out HH NOT appearing yet again,so train fare from Brighton,dinner,ticket price all totally wasted,the show itself was a complete disappointment,no production value,poor choreography,songs thrown in at random with no continuity to the story line,at least if HH had been appearing I would have had the pleasure of listening to her sing but it seems that she can not sustain 8 performances a week unlike Patti La Pone who performed in Sunset Boulevard (how tiring a role is that!!!!) and never missed a performance like she did in Gypsy an other full powered role.Chatting to 2 Americans in the interval they had flown over from the US especially to see HH after being reassured when booking the tickets that she would be appearing,so over all an expensive experience all round - A. Dexter
27 Mar 13
i have traveled twice from northampton to see the show the first time i had no luck, instead i we git a grace jones of an understudy grunt, grunt, grunt .
i checked all the necessary dates etc.
i found out through the facebook page from fans that she does not do matinee shows (only evening) and has now 3 understudy’s none of which have rave reviews .
This in itself should be stated on the website ???
what amount of evening shows, she is actually doing ill never know .
i booked once again for me and a friend to go and see her checking the website dates that she was not scheduled and picking and evening show. Hopefully we would have luck after all my investigating . which as a fan this should all be listed on the official wesbite grrhhhhhh.
Heather Headley is expected to appear at all evening performances excluding Sat 16 - Sat 23 March
and isn’t for Mon 13 - Wed 15 May, Mon 17 - Thu 20 June, Mon 15 - Wed 17 Jul .......
so i booked monday 25th march . after checking her twitter she had been tweeting about her holiday that she was enjoying etc. i thought great she will be all fresh and ready to go as she will return sunday 24th from holiday a day before for rest ? all ready for evening show monday 25th .
NOOOOO she returned on the same day she was scheduled to perform her evening show. then tweeted quote
“Amazing time home, Vacation over
'back in London
My voice is still on break & didn't fly in w/ me though...but sent a man as her understudy;)”
great sence of humour ? not impressed at all . who comes back the day of a performance with jet lag ?
we was already in london train fare, having dinner out, taxi’s wasted . money down the pan again.
she picks up the flu mighty quick . maybe she should be introduced to a flu jab ? she’s giving london broadway a bad name ! and doesnt deserve to be in this show anymore, as it has been plugged with her name to fill seats . if she only performs 4 nights a week .
she hasn’t earned this role and it doesn’t deserve the
‘Best new musical award’ .
gracefully step down i say .
one women on twitter had tweeted traveled all the way from northern ireland to see you and only found out through twitter you wasn’t performing tonight.
the normal viewing public understand and accept understudy’s when your a fan it puts a sour taste in your mouth and just annoy’s you .
when you complain all you get given is a piece of paper to contact the head office as the manager has no gut’s or authority to refund or comment.
"whitney would be turning in her grave”
not going for a third time ...... - liz
26 Mar 13
Went on 18 march. Amateurish acting singing was great wanted to see viva forever then I saw the write up best up and comming musical having a laugh , worst musical we have been to , save your money , see billy Elliot - David Whitehouse
24 Mar 13
Paid a lot of money for the two of us to see this last night & I genuinely feel that I have had my wallet snatched. No charisma, character empathy nor atmosphere throughout. Heather's singing saved it from me scoring a one and at times I thought she may be miming. I know, sounds ludicrous doesn't it. Save your money & see some thumping great entertainment like "We Will Rock You" instead. - John DM
03 Mar 13
Perhaps my expectations were low but The Bodyguard provided a very pleasant surprise. Thea Sharrock's production has taken a pretty mediocre film and turned it into a stage show with genuine narrative tension. It may not be a great story but it's in a different league to some other similar efforts which seemed to be no more than cynical attempts to cash in on an existing fanbase. The show is asisted by a clever design by Tim Hatley, genuine chemistry between the two leads, contrary to some reviews, and of course some of the most iconic and loved songs of the 80s and 90s. Lloyd Owen's customary stolidity is an advantage here as the bodyguard and he does a creditable job with his only song taking I Will Always Love You back to its country roots. Heather Headley is an engaging Rachel Marron, possibly not enough of a diva, but you do care about her fate. Unfortunately her voice has an unappealing nasal tone but I might be in a minority in that view. There is such a determination not to try to replicate Whitney Houston's incomparable vocal power and purity but that does mean that some of the most loved anthems are given scaled down arrangements and a plot device means that Headley doesn't have to attampt the final money note on One Moment in Time. The inevitable finale is great fun if a little out of context and overall The Bodyguard is definitely far more than a thrown together Whitney Houston jukebox musical. We also still have the CDs to remind us of the awesome and irreplaceable talent of Whitney before her tragic decline. - David Baxter
24 Feb 13
Saw the show on 4th Feb. Rachel was played by Janet Kumah. Unfortunately I did not like the show at all. We should have saved the money. I think that Janet should not play Rachel as her voice is VERY different to what it should be if you sing the songs from Rachel. The whole musical looks to me as it is not really thought through and so is the customs design, etc... - Katherine
12 Feb 13
i’m a really big heather fan . Filling seat’s under false pretences … then boom the awful mess that is janet kumar. i think if ur not a regular theatre goer and you don’t follow the actors and actresses you can be easily fooled . joe blogs public are easily pleased . but this show is pulling in people under heathers name . the enchanting video trailer of her hitting all them high Octive signature notes. then u get an understudy of understudy esemble with not replacement notice in advance . janet kumar acted more like tina turner – voice not suited or in tune !!! costuming needs a rethink too. think the’ve thrown set and costume’s together. were in 2013 they should have an automated txt service saying who is performing etc on evening by certain time . i took friends who were visiting from italy. i know she was poorly but she was scheduled 12 days off in month of january or more according to the website and only has evening shows to perform. she had flew 2 weeks running up to christmas one hell of a cold to last all way up to 11th january i believe. her last performances if she even does half of them is apparently august 10th 2013 before the show comes to and end as i think its been extended. Oh well no stamina of Julie andrews ( my fair lady ) 12 shows a week . A real star goes the distance !!! don't make them like they use too !!! - keith
29 Jan 13
I saw it last night and loved it. I like the film but cant claim to be a massive fan. I personally liked the interpretation particularly given the limitations of a theatre vs the extent to which a movie can go to. Heathers voice was fabulous and so incredibly powerful. Ultimately it comes down to personal taste and personally I loved it. I'd definitely go back to see it again. Highly recommended! - Peta
12 Jan 13
Saw this yesterday (5th Jan). Lousy show. Boring with dreadful acting. For the second time in my life I and my adult daughter walked out in the intermission. I heaved a sigh of relief when she said she hated it as much as I did. Obviously there is the comparison with the movie which I loved - but this was so bad. The actor playing Frank Farmer hadn't a clue. Save your money. - Clive Drake
06 Jan 13
I loved the show!!! Thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it - Caroline
27 Dec 12
I must say I thought the show was fantastic. The real reason to see the show is to hear Heather Headley and Debbie Kurup. Both of which are very talented. Does the show have a few things that could be changed? Yes. But it is still a good evening out. By no means is the show rubbish go and enjoy. - Trevor
18 Dec 12
I see very mixed reviews but I enjoyed it. I have to say the film "The Bodyguard" was not my favourite and wondered how it would be as a musical but it it was good. It had a WOW opening number and also the closing number and finale and all in all the story was good as a musical. Heather Headley has a brilliant voice and did Whitney's songs justice. I found Lloyd Owens a bit wooden and the rest of the cast were good but none really stood out - Joe Spiteri
18 Dec 12
This is a thoroughly entertaining theatre adaptation of a hugely successful but rubbish film. There is no point trying to intellectualise on the plot which let's face it, is practically non existent and totally predictable. This show has to be taken on face value, and as such it's a superb and unadulterated bit of quality entertainment second only to Jersey Boys. - Marc
13 Dec 12
Was not expecting much of this show after the mixed reviews but was very pleasantly surprised. Certainly, there seems some nervousness still and I agree with Anne above that there were some offkey notes from Heather but overall the show won me over especially Lloyd Owen. I liked the one-liners in the first half but I didn't like some of the exceedingly bright lights directed at the audience in a couple of the songs which half blinded me! I thought there was some clever staging and I liked the sliding panels! The show last night had a standing ovation and the upbeat encore is very clever and will guarantee the audience leaving with a happy feeling to come back again! - Denise
13 Dec 12
A excellent show well worth a visit - Alan
13 Dec 12
As film to stage goes, this is one of the better adaptations. I hated the epilogue (for the want of a better term) but the rest worked fine - hard to beat the film itself but there were some tense moments and Heather H and Lloyd O both put in very creditworthy performance - Alph Carter
12 Dec 12
Not for me... I really disliked this show... beginning to end. Not for the West End. - Hewitt
10 Dec 12
I have to admit I was very disappointed. The real reason that I bought a ticket to see this show (£67.50 plus all the rest!) was to see or rather hear, Heather Hedley. Perhaps she was having an off night, because she sounded like one of those x factor singers just belting out numbers without engaging me at all. The adaptation seemed lazy as there was scene after scene, and location after location through the sliding panels; I would have expected Thea Sharrock to do more editing on the script before she put it on stage, but then reading her biog notes I realised everything I enjoyed that she has done are revivals and it is a very different skill to putting on something new, even if it was a film before. I feel that I would have got more out of buying the dvd and a great bottle of wine and watching it at home. Having a megamix at the end when everyone gets up and dances does not constitute a standing ovation. It will probably win every award going as it has very little competition, but this does not make it good. So, from me, more "Bodybag" than 'Bodyguard'. - Alice
10 Dec 12
Saw the show on 4/12. I found Heather Headley to be very nasally and although she hit the money notes, there were a few flat ones in there as well, when you pay £60 to see someone sing, you at least expect them to hit every note, well I do. I thought the production was bitty, I got no emotional connection between any of the leads, although the young lad that played the son was amazing, it's a shame his mic wasn't up loud enough for the whole audience to hear. Overall I found the show to lack depth - I'm sure that if I was to go back in say 4mths, I will feel very differently about the show, but I think at the moment I will give a 2nd visit a miss. - Anne
06 Dec 12
I disagree with John above, I went last week with my friend and we thoroughly enjoyed the show which received a standing ovation from the audience. The two lead female singers were excellent but the rest of the cast gave them great back up. How else could they do the scene change to the house? Can I remind the reviewer above that he was in a theatre!! The show was very carefully written to keep to the original plot and maintain the atmosphere required to move the show to live theatre. Lloyd Owen gave a quiet,low key performance, but had the stature and charm/charisma to woo the audience. I would love to go again despite coming from the westcountry and would recommend you book your tickets or miss a lovely entertaining evening. - Cathy
28 Nov 12
Heather Headley brilliant...show very poor... - Tom
23 Nov 12
- John
19 Nov 12
Finale and encore were great but the first two and quarter hours left numb. Much talent is wasted in this show which does not click together well, moving jerkily between scenes. The set sums up whats wrong with the show as for most of the show the set consists of sliding panels and white curtains then suddenly you have a mammoth set of a house from the outside covered in snow turning to the interior of the house great set but seemed to have come from a different show.
It was only the second preview so there is much that could be done to improve this show before it opens It could be good, the leads are good and the female leads have excellent voices and the Whitney Houston songs are all well done its whats either side of the songs that is the problem
Hope I am proved wrong but currently this is a show for die hard fans of Whitney. Others should wait until after it opens to find out if they have put things right before wasting your money on an expensive ticket. - Chris
