The Bodyguard: The Musical – Review – Alhambra Theatre, Bradford
By Steve Crabtree, June 2026
I have a hazy memory of watching The Bodyguard on VHS tape back in the nineties. I can’t be quite sure if I watched it all, but I knew the story.
My wife, on the other hand, remembers every single scene. It’s one of her absolute favourite films, so the minute we heard the musical version was heading to Bradford, we had to get our hands on opening night tickets.
What I can say though, is that I’ve always liked Whitney Houston. Especially her upbeat, more poppy tracks that she first arrived on the music scene with. And, while everyone talks about her vocals, the songs themselves are just incredible pieces of music.
Walking into the Alhambra, you could tell we weren’t the only ones looking forward to revisiting Ms Houston’s classic. The foyer was full of people who likely knew the story inside out and couldn’t wait to see it come alive on stage.
“Deep, emotional love story”
If you’re unsure, The Bodyguard is a proper edge-of-your-seat thriller mixed with a deep, emotional love story. You have a world-famous superstar at the peak of her career, a dangerous stalker lurking in the shadows, and a cool, collected security expert brought in to keep her alive.
In and amongst all that, we get trials, tribulations and twists – as well as love and warmth. Oh – and good music. In fact, flicking through the programme, the excitement went up a touch because the numbers we knew we were getting were near enough a greatest hits album.
I was looking forward to this.
“Incredible ease”
Without warning, the lights dropped and the loudest gunshot I’ve ever heard went off – frightening the living daylights out of us all and causing the entire theatre to jump out of its skin. Things had certainly started with a bang, and once we’d regained our composure, there was Rachel Marron, performing with an incredible set of dancers against a backdrop of brilliant lighting and pyrotechnics.
It felt like we were at a concert, and the feeling in the room soared.
Our queen of the night was the formidable Mireia Mambo. This is a role that demands a clear and powerful voice, assured dancing ability, and the strongest presence. Mambo’s ability to switch between emotions was a credit to the role of Rachel, and she dealt with every single note with incredible ease, especially during a beautiful rendition of ‘I Have Nothing’.
She was sensational, and to find out she is the alternate Rachel in this production was mind blowing.
“The thriller element”
Opposite her was Adam Garcia, a great choice as Frank Farmer. He was unassumingly authoritative, likeable but direct, and he did a fab job of making the role his own without being a mimic of Kevin Costner. He brought a brilliant, quiet assurance and made the bond between the bodyguard and the star completely believable.
There was a huge amount of talent all over the stage in all honesty. Rachel’s sister Nicki was impressive, all thanks to Sasha Monique (and her really moving version of ‘Saving All My Love’). And the thriller element really kept you hooked as the danger got closer too – James-Lee Harris was genuinely unsettling as the stalker, adding a chill to the room every time he appeared.
And as for Rachel’s son Fletcher, young Adam Bartlett stole a few scenes whenever he sang or danced, completely winning over the audience with his confidence and energy.
“Beautiful, emotional”
Scenery is strong, and many of the transitions were pretty smooth. The only jarring bits of the night for me came with a couple of iconic moments being portrayed with projections. I didn’t really feel they fit the rest of the production, but on the flip side, the unease we all felt when the Stalker’s gun was pointed in our direction for a prolonged period of time made you feel on edge. The same character provided the second audience jump of the night too.
The romance and the threat build together perfectly, keeping you gripped or smiling right up to the climax. When those iconic chords of ‘I Will Always Love You’ finally rang out, you could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium. It was a beautiful, emotional moment that was a fitting way to bring the main show to a close.
The crowd stood to applaud at the curtain call, but the show wasn’t done. For the finale, the cast launched into ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ and the whole of Bradford was on its feet, dancing and singing along in the aisles.
I have to say, I really enjoyed The Bodyguard a lot more than I realised I would. My better half loved it too. It’s perhaps in the top five shows I’ve seen in the last four years, and I’ll be sure to see it again.
A proper, high-energy night out that does total justice to a legendary soundtrack.
The Bodyguard continues its run at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, until Saturday 13th June.
Give Steve music, give him food, give him theatre, tech or travel… and he’s a happy man. He’s been writing professionally since 2003, turning to journalism in 2017 when it offered him the chance to enjoy a lot of his existing passions, and learn some new ones at the same time. Steve can be found spending many of his summer nights watching bands at The Piece Hall in his hometown of Halifax, or enjoying a bite to eat and a drink with his wife anywhere in Yorkshire at any time of year. Random fact: He does the best impression of Zippy and George from Rainbow that anyone has ever heard.
