| programme_notes_for_bodyguard_goh_30_sept_23.docx |
Click herPROGRAMME NOTES FOR THE BODY GUARD (The Musical)
The Body Guard, The Musical, is based on the book by Alexander Dinelaris, and the show is based on the film of the same name starring Whitney Houston as Rachael Marron and Kevin Costner as Frank Farmer.
Scenery
Please be aware that the show contains sudden loud noises which may make the audience jump. Shortly into the show four urns that are evenly spaced across the front of the stage shoot up vertical columns of fire, and as they do so they make a very loud sound and those seated in the first set of rows facing the stage may feel the heat from them.
There are many different setting in this show, and the stage is made flexible by screens, either of wood or drapes, which can be opened completely showing the entire stage or partially to concentrate on an intimate acting area.
For the opening scene, which is in a basement parking garage, the screens are closed but as they open we see close-up black and white images of Rachel Marron’s lips, eyes, legs in thigh boots, a corset been tightened etc. For Rachel’s concert the screens are completely open revealing the whole stage. Square frames, decreasing in size towards the back of the stage are outlined with lights. A huge wheel like an enormous paper doily revolves behind the frame throwing out sparkles of light.
The outside scenes of the musical take place variously in a dark parking lot with brick walls, or a park bench in the evening. The FBI office has brick walls and filing cabnets.
There are various scenes at Rachel’s estate which has large Georgian windows with small square panes of glass on either side of a large front door. The whole stage is opened for Rachel’s rehearsal room which has walls painted in light colours. 2 dancer’s barr are placed to the back of the stage one to the right and one to the left. There is a table set centrally mid-way between the front and back. In Rachel’s kitchen there are panelled walls, no window and a large table, with cluttered shelves underneath. Another room in Rachel’s house has panelled walls with an armchair in it. It’s a very small space to begin with, but the screens widen to make it slightly larger. Rachel’s bedroom has luxurious pink drapes, with a large bed set centre stage with bedside tables on either side, each with ornate Art Deco style lamps. Fletcher’s room is revealed when the curtains on the left hand side of the stage are drawn back. His bed is a modern child’s bed with drawers underneath it and a shelf unit attached behind. There’s a large poster of a racing car on the wall facing us.
The recording studio has a table and large mixing board and a glass screen behind which Rachael sings into a microphone.
At the karaoke bar red lights outline a small area of the stage and a further area within. There are tables and chairs set out, cabaret style, and a DJ’s desk to the right. The lyrics of the chosen songs are projected behind the seating area. There is a high stool centrally where Nicki sings.
The Mayan club’s dressing room has a pink sofa at the left, half way back. For the Mayan club itself the whole stage is opened up, while diminishing squares of lights give depth. Half way back and in the centre is a platform for singing.
The theatre in Miami is the full stage with spectacular lighting effects. The set for the Oscar’s presentation is similar. The dressing room for the Oscars has a pink sofa in the centre of a small area of the stage, with a cluttered make-up dressing mirror and table with chair in front of it on the right.
The lake cottage is homely. The walls are made from logs with a glass panelled door in the middle, and to the right is a rustic stone chimney piece with a glowing fire. There’s a brightly coloured rug on the floor and a cosy armchair. To the left of the door is a sink with a cupboard, beneath a small window and there’s a wooden table with stools.
The Cast
Rachel Marron (a famous singer) is played by either Zoe Birkett or Emily Williams but this may differ in a matinee performance, though both women will look similar and wear the same costumes. She has a dark complexion in a heart shaped face with high cheek bones, pointed chin and full lips and large brown eyes under well-marked eyebrows and an abundance of black wavy hair. A variety of spectacular costumes are worn, particularly when performing. An Egyptian influenced, very short gold and black skirt with a bikini style top and and high ankle boots are worn for the opening sequence. Black bustier tops, embroidered with pink sequins, with tight black jeggings with the same pink sequins on the thighs are also worn. Another performance outfit is a sequinned pink strappy dress, low cut and very short at the sides, dipping to just above the knees at centre front and back. On another occasion she wears a bustier made from silver sequins, over tight pale grey jeans. She wears a full length black sequinned dress, low cut and sleeveless, tight fitting over the hips and flaring out beneath them, with a train at the back. On a less formal occasion, at the karaoke bar, she wears a black jacket over a white t shirt with tight blue jeans and a knitted hat on her head. She wears a long pink scarf hanging loose over the jacket. In the cottage she wears a warm knitted cream cardigan over jeans, sometimes with a green scarf. She has a pink off the shoulder sweater over a white vest top and she is also seen in a green satin dressing gown tied at the waist. For the Oscars she wears a full-length cream satin dress with one shoulder strap. It’s sleeveless and draped over the hips where it falls into a sweeping train behind. The final performance shows her in a red strapped, short sparkly dress.
Nicki Marron (Rachel’s sister) is played by Emily Mae. Similar to Rachael in appearance, having the same dark complexion, a curvy body and black curly hair. Nicki wears sexy street clothing, less spectacular and more functional than her sister’s. She has a short, tight fitting sleeveless black dress for her performance and is also seen in a tight leather skirt with a white blouse. She is also seen in a black sleeveless top with tight black trousers and high heels and later she wears a tan and beige check jacket with blue jeans. She wears grey sweat pants in one scene with a black vest top and a grey sweat shirt slung over her shoulders. In the cabin she wears a long blue silk dressing gown tied at the waist.
Frank Farmer (a former secret agent turned bodyguard) is played by Ayden Callaghan. Frank is tall and handsome, slender and lithe with neat dark hair, and designer stubble. His narrow face has high cheek bones and a wide forehead with brown eyes under thick eyebrows. He has a long nose, thin lips and a square chin. He wears a formal 3 piece dark suit with white shirt and tie. When relaxing in the karaoke bar he has a black leather jacket with a white sports shirt underneath and in the cottage he wears a grey jumper patterned with blue. He also wears a grey sweater and blue jeans. At the Oscars he wears a tuxedo.
Bill Devaney (Rachael’s manager) is played by John Mccauley. He is dark skinned and has a greying beard and balding head. He is an imposing figure with broad shoulders and a strong body and almost invariably wears formal clothes, sometimes a light fawn suit and sometimes a jacket with slacks, shirt and tie.
Sy Spector (Rachael’s publicist) is played by James Groom. He is tall and slim with stylish cut grey hair, blown back from a thin face with high cheekbones and deep-set brown eyes. He has a long nose and a square chin. He wears formal clothes, often a suit with a t shirt underneath or a jacket and smart trousers.
Tony Scibelli (Rachel’s security guard) is played by Graham Elwell. He is tall, broad and slightly overweight with a round face and deep-set eyes, full lips and a beard and moustache. He has neat short dark hair and a high forehead. Like the other men he wears formal clothes, frequently being dressed in a suit, though he often removes the jacket to be in shirt sleeves.
The Stalker is played by Marios Nicolaides. He is handsome, tall and has a muscular physique, usually bare chested under his “hoodie” with a square face and dark eyes under dark eyebrows with full lips. His dark hair is crewcut style. He wears a tuxedo when attending the Oscars and a bomber jacket and balaclava later in the show.
Ray Court (FBI agent) is played by Fergal Coghlan is tall and well built. He has dark hair swept back from a long face and dark eyes, under low eyebrows. He has thin lips and has designer stubble. He wears a formal dark suit with white shirt and tie.
Fletche (Rachael’s son) is a role shared by various child actors - Kayleen Aires Fonseca, Lesa Miller, Frankie Keita and Reneo Kusi-Appauh He always has dark tightly curled hair, large wide set dark brown eyes and full lips. He is 10 years old and appears in a variety of children’s leisure clothing, jeans, jogging bottoms, sweaters and hoodies. He also wears pyjamas and a dressing gown with cartoon characters appliqued on it.
Various other parts such as the choreographer, Rory, the sound-technician, stage-manager and make-up artist are played by members of the chorus.
The chorus is formed of men and women, though sometimes the women dance alone. In Rachel’s rehearsal room they wear leisure clothes. The men wear cut-off trousers, shorts or sweat pants, with colourful t shirts. The women wear patterned leggings and bright t shirts. The costumes of the female chorus sometimes reflect Rachel’s, so they wear Egyptian style black and gold very short skirts with bikini tops, which reveal their midriffs, while she wears the same and they wear black bustier styled tops when she wears her black bustier. The men wear tight black trousers and golden boleros which show their muscular bodies. The girls will wear sparkly black dresses when she is wearing her bright pink one, and for the Oscars they are all in tuxedos with sparkling trousers and white shirts with open jackets and loose ties.
Please try to be seated at least 10 minutes before the performance begins in order to test your headsets, and if there are any problems the staff in attendance will be happy to help. Also the programme notes are read aloud via your headsets before the show begins.
e to edit.
The Body Guard, The Musical, is based on the book by Alexander Dinelaris, and the show is based on the film of the same name starring Whitney Houston as Rachael Marron and Kevin Costner as Frank Farmer.
Scenery
Please be aware that the show contains sudden loud noises which may make the audience jump. Shortly into the show four urns that are evenly spaced across the front of the stage shoot up vertical columns of fire, and as they do so they make a very loud sound and those seated in the first set of rows facing the stage may feel the heat from them.
There are many different setting in this show, and the stage is made flexible by screens, either of wood or drapes, which can be opened completely showing the entire stage or partially to concentrate on an intimate acting area.
For the opening scene, which is in a basement parking garage, the screens are closed but as they open we see close-up black and white images of Rachel Marron’s lips, eyes, legs in thigh boots, a corset been tightened etc. For Rachel’s concert the screens are completely open revealing the whole stage. Square frames, decreasing in size towards the back of the stage are outlined with lights. A huge wheel like an enormous paper doily revolves behind the frame throwing out sparkles of light.
The outside scenes of the musical take place variously in a dark parking lot with brick walls, or a park bench in the evening. The FBI office has brick walls and filing cabnets.
There are various scenes at Rachel’s estate which has large Georgian windows with small square panes of glass on either side of a large front door. The whole stage is opened for Rachel’s rehearsal room which has walls painted in light colours. 2 dancer’s barr are placed to the back of the stage one to the right and one to the left. There is a table set centrally mid-way between the front and back. In Rachel’s kitchen there are panelled walls, no window and a large table, with cluttered shelves underneath. Another room in Rachel’s house has panelled walls with an armchair in it. It’s a very small space to begin with, but the screens widen to make it slightly larger. Rachel’s bedroom has luxurious pink drapes, with a large bed set centre stage with bedside tables on either side, each with ornate Art Deco style lamps. Fletcher’s room is revealed when the curtains on the left hand side of the stage are drawn back. His bed is a modern child’s bed with drawers underneath it and a shelf unit attached behind. There’s a large poster of a racing car on the wall facing us.
The recording studio has a table and large mixing board and a glass screen behind which Rachael sings into a microphone.
At the karaoke bar red lights outline a small area of the stage and a further area within. There are tables and chairs set out, cabaret style, and a DJ’s desk to the right. The lyrics of the chosen songs are projected behind the seating area. There is a high stool centrally where Nicki sings.
The Mayan club’s dressing room has a pink sofa at the left, half way back. For the Mayan club itself the whole stage is opened up, while diminishing squares of lights give depth. Half way back and in the centre is a platform for singing.
The theatre in Miami is the full stage with spectacular lighting effects. The set for the Oscar’s presentation is similar. The dressing room for the Oscars has a pink sofa in the centre of a small area of the stage, with a cluttered make-up dressing mirror and table with chair in front of it on the right.
The lake cottage is homely. The walls are made from logs with a glass panelled door in the middle, and to the right is a rustic stone chimney piece with a glowing fire. There’s a brightly coloured rug on the floor and a cosy armchair. To the left of the door is a sink with a cupboard, beneath a small window and there’s a wooden table with stools.
The Cast
Rachel Marron (a famous singer) is played by either Zoe Birkett or Emily Williams but this may differ in a matinee performance, though both women will look similar and wear the same costumes. She has a dark complexion in a heart shaped face with high cheek bones, pointed chin and full lips and large brown eyes under well-marked eyebrows and an abundance of black wavy hair. A variety of spectacular costumes are worn, particularly when performing. An Egyptian influenced, very short gold and black skirt with a bikini style top and and high ankle boots are worn for the opening sequence. Black bustier tops, embroidered with pink sequins, with tight black jeggings with the same pink sequins on the thighs are also worn. Another performance outfit is a sequinned pink strappy dress, low cut and very short at the sides, dipping to just above the knees at centre front and back. On another occasion she wears a bustier made from silver sequins, over tight pale grey jeans. She wears a full length black sequinned dress, low cut and sleeveless, tight fitting over the hips and flaring out beneath them, with a train at the back. On a less formal occasion, at the karaoke bar, she wears a black jacket over a white t shirt with tight blue jeans and a knitted hat on her head. She wears a long pink scarf hanging loose over the jacket. In the cottage she wears a warm knitted cream cardigan over jeans, sometimes with a green scarf. She has a pink off the shoulder sweater over a white vest top and she is also seen in a green satin dressing gown tied at the waist. For the Oscars she wears a full-length cream satin dress with one shoulder strap. It’s sleeveless and draped over the hips where it falls into a sweeping train behind. The final performance shows her in a red strapped, short sparkly dress.
Nicki Marron (Rachel’s sister) is played by Emily Mae. Similar to Rachael in appearance, having the same dark complexion, a curvy body and black curly hair. Nicki wears sexy street clothing, less spectacular and more functional than her sister’s. She has a short, tight fitting sleeveless black dress for her performance and is also seen in a tight leather skirt with a white blouse. She is also seen in a black sleeveless top with tight black trousers and high heels and later she wears a tan and beige check jacket with blue jeans. She wears grey sweat pants in one scene with a black vest top and a grey sweat shirt slung over her shoulders. In the cabin she wears a long blue silk dressing gown tied at the waist.
Frank Farmer (a former secret agent turned bodyguard) is played by Ayden Callaghan. Frank is tall and handsome, slender and lithe with neat dark hair, and designer stubble. His narrow face has high cheek bones and a wide forehead with brown eyes under thick eyebrows. He has a long nose, thin lips and a square chin. He wears a formal 3 piece dark suit with white shirt and tie. When relaxing in the karaoke bar he has a black leather jacket with a white sports shirt underneath and in the cottage he wears a grey jumper patterned with blue. He also wears a grey sweater and blue jeans. At the Oscars he wears a tuxedo.
Bill Devaney (Rachael’s manager) is played by John Mccauley. He is dark skinned and has a greying beard and balding head. He is an imposing figure with broad shoulders and a strong body and almost invariably wears formal clothes, sometimes a light fawn suit and sometimes a jacket with slacks, shirt and tie.
Sy Spector (Rachael’s publicist) is played by James Groom. He is tall and slim with stylish cut grey hair, blown back from a thin face with high cheekbones and deep-set brown eyes. He has a long nose and a square chin. He wears formal clothes, often a suit with a t shirt underneath or a jacket and smart trousers.
Tony Scibelli (Rachel’s security guard) is played by Graham Elwell. He is tall, broad and slightly overweight with a round face and deep-set eyes, full lips and a beard and moustache. He has neat short dark hair and a high forehead. Like the other men he wears formal clothes, frequently being dressed in a suit, though he often removes the jacket to be in shirt sleeves.
The Stalker is played by Marios Nicolaides. He is handsome, tall and has a muscular physique, usually bare chested under his “hoodie” with a square face and dark eyes under dark eyebrows with full lips. His dark hair is crewcut style. He wears a tuxedo when attending the Oscars and a bomber jacket and balaclava later in the show.
Ray Court (FBI agent) is played by Fergal Coghlan is tall and well built. He has dark hair swept back from a long face and dark eyes, under low eyebrows. He has thin lips and has designer stubble. He wears a formal dark suit with white shirt and tie.
Fletche (Rachael’s son) is a role shared by various child actors - Kayleen Aires Fonseca, Lesa Miller, Frankie Keita and Reneo Kusi-Appauh He always has dark tightly curled hair, large wide set dark brown eyes and full lips. He is 10 years old and appears in a variety of children’s leisure clothing, jeans, jogging bottoms, sweaters and hoodies. He also wears pyjamas and a dressing gown with cartoon characters appliqued on it.
Various other parts such as the choreographer, Rory, the sound-technician, stage-manager and make-up artist are played by members of the chorus.
The chorus is formed of men and women, though sometimes the women dance alone. In Rachel’s rehearsal room they wear leisure clothes. The men wear cut-off trousers, shorts or sweat pants, with colourful t shirts. The women wear patterned leggings and bright t shirts. The costumes of the female chorus sometimes reflect Rachel’s, so they wear Egyptian style black and gold very short skirts with bikini tops, which reveal their midriffs, while she wears the same and they wear black bustier styled tops when she wears her black bustier. The men wear tight black trousers and golden boleros which show their muscular bodies. The girls will wear sparkly black dresses when she is wearing her bright pink one, and for the Oscars they are all in tuxedos with sparkling trousers and white shirts with open jackets and loose ties.
Please try to be seated at least 10 minutes before the performance begins in order to test your headsets, and if there are any problems the staff in attendance will be happy to help. Also the programme notes are read aloud via your headsets before the show begins.
e to edit.
