‘The Bodyguard’
Deborah Cox makes Whitney Houston’s role her own.
Deborah Cox needed to take a little time away from her starring role in the national tour of “The Bodyguard” following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“Yeah, it hit me pretty hard,” says Cox, who lives in Parkland. “It was just so close to home.”
But the R&B and pop star is back at the helm of the stage musical based on the 1992 Whitney Houston-Kevin Costner movie, and Cox will be center stage during the show’s two runs in South Florida, through Thursday at Miami’s Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and April 10-15 at West Palm Beach’s Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
“It was so surreal that it was literally happening in my back yard,” Cox says. “All I can say is that the kids [protesting for gun reform] have been phenomenal. I had to have a little break. Sadly, my son lost a few friends.”
The day of the shooting, Feb. 14, Cox posted on Facebook: “Earlier today we were waiting for our kids to get out of their school but it was on lockdown. We need sensible gun control in this country. This is the kind of call that every parent dreads. I’m heartbroken. So sad to hear about this going on AGAIN. Our kids are safe. Thanks to all who reached out. Please pray for the families, the teachers, the students, the city of Parkland ..... God help us all.”
Earlier that day, she had added this under a “Pray for Parkland” post: “I posted this in the midst of all that was going on. It’s a lot different in the moment. You want to comfort the friends and neighbors that are hurting. Believe me when I tell you there will be change. #Parkland residents are NOT going to sit back and let this happen without any action. Trust.”
Canadian-born Cox, who has had 13 No. 1 hits on the Billboard dance charts, is probably best known for chart toppers “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here,” “Things Just Ain’t The Same” and “Absolutely Not.” She made her Broadway debut in the Elton John-Tim Rice musical “Aida” in 2004. She returned to the Great White Way in April 2013 for a limited run of “Jekyll and Hyde,” following a national tour of the show that included a stop in West Palm Beach a month earlier. In 2015, Cox recorded the vocals for a Lifetime network bio of Whitney Houston that was directed by Angela Bassett.
Like the film that inspired it, “The Bodyguard” is about pop superstar Rachel Marron, who butts heads and then falls in love with a former Secret Service agent hired to protect her from a crazed stalker. The show includes hit songs from the movie’s soundtrack, including “I Have Nothing,” “Run to You,” “Queen of the Night,” the Dolly Parton cover “I Will Always Love You” and the Chaka Khan cover “I’m Every Woman.” The musical adds songs from Houston’s playlist, such as “So Emotional,” “One Moment in Time,” “Saving All My Love,” “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Here is more from our interview with Cox. What is your memory of the movie? What’s the first thing you think of when you think of the film?
The soundtrack. I remember listening to it religiously on my Walkman and my CD player. I was traveling with Celine Dion at the time, and at sound check we would listen. I was writing a lot of songs then. We were shopping our demos to different labels. It was around that time I got to meet [record producer] Clive Davis, and he was interested.
For fans, what can they get from the stage musical that they couldn’t get from the movie?
With this production, you get a lot more of the songs. The film only had three or four songs, and they weren’t sung in their entirety. There’s additional songs in this show than in the movie, and they have to push the storyline. They give you better insight into the characters.
You’re a pop star playing a pop star. Are there any other parallels? Have you had to deal with overzealous fans or, God forbid, a stalker?
“There have been some fans that have been like a little too excited. Thankfully, I have not been in that kind of situation where it’s been really dangerous. I think it’s also in how you approach the situation. I’ve always been an approachable kind of celebrity. But you know, I do take precautions. I do have security. They’re not always visible in that way that makes people uncomfortable. Generally, I like to be free to have a life, as well.
What insight do you have for the role of Rachel Marron that your experiences as a recording star have given you?
Well, she is very, very isolated. I think the isolation is where I really understand her. She’s guarded because of the fact she doesn’t have what I have: The luxury of being anonymous and raising my kids. Rachel does not have that kind of life. That kind of stardom is a prison.
I remember interviewing Constantine Maroulis — your co-star in “Jekyll and Hyde” — and he said that you were passionate about stage work. Where does that come from?
I went to a performing-arts high school. I think everything came from there. I did a lot of productions before being a recording artist. I think that’s something a lot of people don’t know. I think acting is very therapeutic in a way. You get a lot of emotion out that you wouldn’t normally in your own life. I learn a lot more about myself through acting and through the different experiences. It has really served me well in my life. And being a leading lady is very different, as well. I had to learn to do my best and do my part and play my role.”
“The Bodyguard” runs through Thursday at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., in Miami. Tickets cost $29-$125. To order, call 305-949-6722 or go to ArshtCenter.org. The show will also appear April 10-15 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., in West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $28-$76. To order, call 561-832-7569 or go to Kravis.org. rhagwood@southflorida.com