Producers, Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce that multi-platinum Australian recording artist Emily Williams will star as Rachel Marron in the award-winning international smash hit musical The Bodyguard, from Tuesday 12 September 2023 at the Liverpool Empire.
Emily Williams returns to the role of Rachel Marron, having previously starred in the 2017 Australian production, which marked her theatrical debut. Emily rose to fame on Australian Idol, becoming the runner-up of the competition. Following this, she found commercial success as a member of the Australian girl group Young Divas before going solo gaining numerous ‘Favourite Australian Female Artist' nominations.
Emily will join Emmerdale and Hollyoaks star Ayden Callaghan as Frank Farmer, with Emily-Mae as Nicki Marron, John Macaulay as Bill Devaney, Graham Elwell as Tony, James Groom as Sy Spector, Marios Nicolaides as Stalker and Phil Atkinson as Ray Court. The role of Fletcher will be shared by Ryo Appadu, Kaylen Luke, Manasseh Mapira and Sam Stephens.
The cast is completed by Alexandros Beshonges, Kayne Gordon, Jack Hardwick, James-Lee Harris, Kalisha Johnson, Samantha Mbolekwa, Liam Morris, Abbie Quinnen, Charlotte Scally, Yiota Theo and Marco Venturini.
Ayden Callaghan is best known for his roles as Miles De Souza in Emmerdale and fan favourite Joe Roscoe in Hollyoaks. Additional television credits include Doctors, Eastenders, Bad Education, Casualty and The Bill. His stage credits include the roles of Dr Treves in The Elephant Man at The Trafalgar Studios, Malcolm in Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce on UK Tour, directed by Peter Hall, and Dean Snaith in Ayckbourn’s If I Were You on UK Tour.
Emily-Mae’s theatre credits include Disney’s Frozen and City of Angels both in the West End, Are You as Nervous as I Am? and Brooklyn the Musical at Greenwich Theatre, the National Tour of Paul Kerryson’s Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors at Storyhouse, Chester and The Producers at the Royal Exchange.
Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don’t expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, The Bodyguard features a host of irresistible classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest hit songs of all time – I Will Always Love You.
Based on Lawrence Kasdan’s 1992 Oscar nominated Warner Bros. movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, The Bodyguard, directed by Thea Sharrock with book by Oscar winning Alex Dinelaris, had its world premiere at the Adelphi Theatre in London’s West End and was nominated for four Olivier Awards. A sell out 18 month UK and Ireland tour followed, before the show returned to the West End at the Dominion Theatre ahead of a second sell out tour of the UK and Ireland in 2018/19. To date, The Bodyguard has played to over 3.6 million people in 15 countries and 45 US cities. Countries include the Netherlands, Germany, South Korea, China, Canada, Italy, Australia, Spain, France, the US, Austria and Japan.
The Bodyguard will be at the New Theatre Oxford from Monday 27 November – Saturday 2 December 2023.
Photo Credit: Paul Coltas
