Soul superstar Beverley Knight is set to replace Heather Headley in the West End production of The Bodyguard
by Oliver Mitford on Friday 28 June 2013, 10:59 am in West End News & Gossip
A new diva comes to town as Beverley Knight takes on the role of Rachel Marron in the smash-hit new musical The Bodyguard from September this year. The award-winning British soul singer has sold over a million albums in the UK, had several top ten hits and performed at London’s 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony. On the announcement of her West End debut, Knight said: “I am so excited about playing Rachel Marron on stage in The Bodyguard. To be playing such an iconic role is both somewhat challenging and highly exhilarating and it will be nothing but a privilege to perform the best of Whitney Houston’s extraordinary catalogue each night on stage.”
Joining Beverly Knight on stage each night will be Tristan Gemmill, who is replacing Lloyd Owen in the part of Frank Farmer – the bodyguard of the title. Gemmill is best known as Dr Adam Trueman from the long-running TV medial drama Casualty. He has also appeared in other televisions shows such as, London’s Burning, Distant Shores, Strictly Confidential and Cape Wrath. Unlike Knight, Gemmill is no stranger to the stage, having appeared in productions of A Streetcar Named Desire, Dangerous Corner, Design For Living and Henry V for the Royal Shakespeare Company.
The Bodyguard opened at the Adelphi Theatre in December last year and tells the story of former secret service agent-turned-bodyguard, Frank Farmer, who is hired to protect pop star Rachel Marron from a stalker. An unlikely relationship blossoms between the protector and his ward, but the unknown stalker has other plans.
The production features some of Whitney Houston’s greatest songs, including ‘Queen of the Night’, ‘Saving All My Love’, ‘Run to You’, ‘I Have Nothing’, ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’ and the all-time classic ‘I Will Always Love You’ .
The Bodyguard is now booking until March 2014, but get your tickets now and catch Beverly Knight lighting up the stage of the Adelphi Theatre!