Daebreon Poiema is once again spectacular as pop diva Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, the ’90s movie smash recreated live on stage at Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre under John LaLonde’s able direction.

Music fans flocked to their neighborhood multiplexes when Whitney Houston made her 1992 big-screen debut as multiple-Grammy winner/single mom Rachel, whose joy at being nominated for a Best Song Oscar is tempered by the death threats she’s been receiving from an unknown would-be assailant.

No wonder then that Rachel’s management team take it upon themselves to hire former Secret Service agent Frank Farmer (Brent Schindele) to take over bodyguard duties from Tony Scibelli (Mike Truelock) while getting to know Rachel’s publicist Sy Spector (Jim Skousen), her manager Bill Delvaney (Ron Hastings), and most importantly her young son Fletcher (Amari Figueras) and her overshadowed sister Nikki (Deanna Anthony).

Majorly bummed about an outsider’s intrusion into her happy household, Rachel refuses to take safety threats seriously until Frank rescues her from fans gone wild over a medley of “Million Dollar Bill,” “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” and “So Emotional” at the Mayan, and even if romance comes seemingly out of nowhere, it’s not long before Rachel is being filled up (her words, not mine) by “All The Man I Need.”

Still there’s the pesky matter of that deranged stalker, and with the upcoming Oscar ceremony providing her would-be killer a potentially worldwide audience for his nefarious plans, even love with the proper bodyguard does not promise smooth sailing ahead for the international megastar.

Book writer Alexander Dinelaris has done an okay job of simplifying Lawrence Kasdan’s plot-twist-heavy screenplay, and since the film’s half-dozen-or-so songs (“I Will Always Love You” and dueling Oscar nominees “I Have Nothing” and “Run To You” among them) do not a full-length stage musical make, to that list has been added just about every Top Ten Whitney smash you could wish for.

“So Emotional,” “One Moment in Time,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “Saving All My Love for You,” and “All At Once,” you name a Whitney Houston hit, it’s probably in The Bodyguard, the latter two allowing Nikki to prove that were it not for a superstar sister, she herself might have been a contender instead of an envious sibling.

Cardboard characters and B-movie plot aside, The Bodyguard delivers the entertainment goods if only for the chance to see Poiema, whom Candlelight audiences will recall as Sister Act’s Deloris Van Cartier, prove that not only can she sing like a pop superstar, she’s got the moves and glamour to match.

The second-best reason to see The Bodyguard is its music-video-ready ensemble–Xavier J. Bush, Zaylin Eleni Cano, Lexi Cross, Denise Esteves, Judy Fernandez, Brandon J., Israel Lacy, Kristin O’Connell, dance captain James Odom (Rory), and Lisa Stone–who dance up a storm to John Vaughan’s high-energy, music video-ready choreography while singing up just as much of a storm to prerecorded tracks under Kevin Gasio’s assured musical direction

SoCal favorite Schindele makes for a dynamic action/romantic hero, Anthony gets to show off her own seductive pipes, and young Figueras proves himself a terrific singer as well.

Hastings and Truelock (who doubles as Frank’s colleague Ray Court) provide capable support in non-singing roles, Skousen once again adds deliciously quirky notes to what in other hands would be a throw-away part, and a silent Chris Coon is suitably creepy as the man known for good reason as The Stalker.

Though Candlelight’s latest can’t match The Bodyguard’s national tour in the production design department, scenic designer Chuck Ketter, projection designers Gasio and Kyle Harte, and lighting designer Bo Tindell’s do their best on a more limited budget, and Mark Gamez and Merrill Grady’s costumes look pretty darned fabulous throughout, with special snaps for giving Rachel one glamorous look after another (topped by Michon Gruber-Gonzalez’s classy wigs).

Caleb Shiba is stage manager. Jonathan Daroka is lighting associate.

The Bodyguard may never make it to Broadway, let alone compete for a Best Musical Tony, but just wait till the entire cast joins in on “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” after curtain calls have been taken. I dare you not to want to get up and boogie along.

Candlelight Pavilion, 455 W. Foothill Blvd., Claremont.
www.candlelightpavilion.com

–Steven Stanley
August 31, 2019
Photos: Demetrios Katsantonis

Tags: Candlelight Pavilion Dinner Theatre, Los Angeles Theater Review, Whitney Houston