CHRISTMAS DREAMING OF A WHITNEY CHRISTMAS
ADDING a touch of romance to the festive season, smash-hit musical The Bodyguard is returning to Manchester, starring Alexandra Burke. The songstress will once again play Rachel Marron in the romantic thriller which is based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner.
It’s an alluring portrayal of the love story between secret service agent turned bodyguard Frank Farmer and Marron, a superstar he is hired to protect from an unknown stalker.
The romantic thriller features a host of Whitney classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and I Will Always Love You.
According to the pop star she has been singing Whitney songs since a child and credits the late singer as the inspiration behind her strong work ethic.
“My mum used to do backing vocals for Whitney and when she sang with her on Top of the Pops she spoke to Whitney about me and said ‘oh my daughter really loves you and wants to be a singer,’” said Burke.
“Whitney’s advice to me was to keep working and never stop – to strike whilst the iron’s hot. That’s why in the past ten years I’ve never really stopped as that’s stuck with me – work hard and strike whilst the iron’s hot.”
Burke rose to fame after winning the fifth series of The X Factor and her subsequent debut number one single Hallelujah sold more than one-million copies in the UK. She also made it to the final of Strictly Come Dancing in 2017.
Burke has already starred as Rachel Marron to critical and audience acclaim in both the West End and the following sell out 2015/2016 tour. She says that she never tires of singing Whitney classics.
“It takes me back to when I was a child and had a hairbrush in my hand and was always singing Whitney to my Mum,” she said. “For me, the storyline never gets old.
“The songs aren’t easy to sing, luckily some of them aren’t in Whitney’s key which I’m very thankful for. At the same time, it’s very rewarding. Singing Whitney Houston six times a week is no joke and it’s very hard but also incredible.
“I think my favourite Whitney track of all time was I Will Always Love You and a couple of years ago after performing the show night after night it changed to I Have Nothing.
The Bodyguard enjoyed a sell-out run at the Manchester Palace Theatre in 2015.
Burke joins Ben Lewis as Frank Farmer, Emmy Willow as Nicki Marron and Neil Reidman as Bill Devaney. The Bodyguard is on from December 10 to January 4, 2020 at The Palace Theatre on Oxford Street. Burke will perform at evening performances only so patrons should check before booking.
Tickets are available from atgtickets.com/manchester or by calling the box office on 0161 245 6615.