BEST OF BOTHWORLDS
THE BODYGUARD LETS BEVERLEY KNIGHT EXPLORE HER LOVES OF STAGE AND SONG
The 1992 romantic thriller The Bodyguard, in which Kevin Costner played a personal security guard hired to protect a superstar musician ( the late Whitney Houston) from a stalker, had one of the best- selling soundtracks of all time — even 25 years later, Houston’s soaring cover of Dolly Parton’s gorgeous ballad I Will Always Love You probably just popped into your head right now.
It was only a matter of time before the story, which has live music written right into the plot, was brought to the stage. Playing Rachel Marron, a role so memorably sung by Houston on screen, is British soul legend Beverley Knight.
Knight, who started doing theatre as a child and minored in performing arts in university before starting her music career in the 1990s, says that performing in The Bodyguard “was, for me, coming full circle but on a huge scale, of course ... I seemed to have managed to keep both the music and theatre balls in the air so far. I love it!”
Her enthusiasm for the show helps her face down her biggest performance challenge: dancing. “The love of what I do means it is easier to face the more challenging aspect of musical theatre, which, for me, is dance. I am a mover, certainly not a dancer, never trained a step in my life! I have to absolutely drill the choreography. What you see on stage me ‘styling it out’ so I look like I’m somewhere near the brilliance of the other brilliant cast members and not a hoofer!”
Choreography concentration aside, Knight says that the discipline of touring a concert and of performing in a musical night after night is the same — but there are other challenges that come with starring in a stage musical. “Theatre is more difficult, as you are onstage every night concurrently,” she says. “Creatively, where they differ is that theatre is very much set in terms of what you do onstage; my own shows are much more spontaneous.”
Back in the 1990s, Knight was a fan of the movie. “I went to see The Bodyguard back when it was released, and like most people I loved it,” she says. “I also remember the astonishing run the iconic I Will Always Love You had at No. 1 in the U. K. and around the globe.”
Naturally, she admits, many audience members are particularly excited for that song. “The overwhelming majority of people who come to see the show are there to hear that song,” she says. “But what I love is that night after night, folks come up to me and say ‘I was gripped from the very beginning,’ They were not playing a waiting game just to hear the one song.”
And while I Will Always Love You is obviously a particular gem to sing, Knight relishes the entire score — especially how the music guides her through Rachel Marron’s emotional journey every night. “The musical uses, as you might expect, much more of the Whitney catalogue, which is a goldmine,” she says. “The songs help to reveal the emotions of each character, especially Rachel’s, to startling effect. It’s as though the songs were crafted for the show and not pre-existing songs.”
Knight has the utmost respect for Houston, but she didn’t revisit the film to prepare for her performance — she was determined to make the character her own.
“To approach the role of Rachel Marron I read the script and drew all my inspiration from there onwards. I didn’t revisit the film or the songs,” she says. “I want to ensure that as much as is possible, I was faithfully creating the Rachel that was developing in my mind and not a carbon copy of the film or album. I never imagined all those years ago that I would be here in Toronto, in the same role as the incomparable Whitney. It’s such a joy and such an honour.”
National Post readers can save 25% on the top two ticket prices (reg. up to $129) on weeknight performances of The Bodyguard. Call 416-872-1212 or go to mirvish.com/Post. Use promo code BGPOST. Offer expires Feb 18, 2017.