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    Theater Review

    A lot of Cox but not enough camp in The Bodyguard musical

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 26, 2017 | 4:55 pm

    Before reading this review, take a second to scan through the photos in the above carousel. Go on. I'll wait. Now you have a sense of what to expect with The Bodyguard musical — even if the show itself doesn't always deliver.

    When it's masquerading as a pop concert, the Deborah Cox-led show is — dare I say it — kind of fun. It's when the Whitney Houston hits stop, the muscled backup dancers retreat, and the disco lights dim that this empty-headed stage version of the 1992 film is revealed for what it is: a cheap money-grab that relies on nostalgia.

    This is not to say that the movie itself was high art, but plenty of stage adaptations have taken less-than-stellar source material and molded the muck into a fun night at the theater (Xanadu comes immediately to mind). The Bodyguard promises camp and covers, but it often falls short on the former while exhausting its star with the latter.

    As an example of the show's uneven structure, Deborah Cox sings approximately 80 percent of the score, which is made up of such Houston tunes as "I Wanna Dance With Somebody," "One Moment in Time," "So Emotional," and "How Will I Know." The show, it should be noted, is not authorized by the estate of Whitney Houston.

    But the Grammy-nominated Cox is oddly well suited for this role, which doesn't demand she do much as superstar singer Rachel Marron other than strut, belt, and occasionally get hefted around by those chiseled dancers. Jasmin Richardson, playing Rachel's second-fiddle sister Nicki, gets to do the emoting for both of them, and she does it with style. It would be interesting to see Richardson as Rachel (she's one of Cox's two understudies, and it's emphasized that Cox does not perform any matinees except Sundays, when she also doesn't go on for the evening show).

    The Bodyguard was first developed in London's West End, and it's since gone on to tour the world. Its book, written by Alexander Dinelaris and based on Lawrence Kasdan's screenplay, eschews characterization in favor of attitude, which is doled out in heaps by Cox, the mostly forgettable actors who comprise the singer's retinue, and the two young men (Douglas Baldeo and Kevelin B. Jones III) who alternate in the role of her pre-teen son.

    There apparently wasn't any sass left for Judson Mills, who is so stoic as the titular bodyguard Frank Farmer that he might as well be a set piece. Again, this is not to say that his film counterpart Kevin Costner was revered for his deep wells of emotion. It's just that there is a huge difference between movie close-ups and large-capacity theaters.

    Mills does, however, get to hint at his comic chops by talk-singing through the property's best-selling single, "I Will Always Love You." It occurs when Frank takes the icy Rachel out on a date to a karaoke bar, ill-advisedly mixing business with pleasure but ready to prove that protecting her life from a dangerous stalker needn't be completely serious.

    It's a cute way to work the property's most famous song — written by and initially made famous by Dolly Parton — into the show, but Mills is overshadowed by the ensemble members cutting it up in the background as the bar's patrons. The energetic chorus also pulls focus with their sharp execution of Karen Bruce's slinky choreography, looking more polished and alert than their star (The Bodyroll would have been an acceptable alternate title). Director Thea Sharrock has a solution though: whisk the interesting folks offstage so that Cox can once again move front and center to belt out a power ballad while the set melts away into a void of twinkling stars.

    Oh yes, about that stalker. The producers have sunk plenty of money into a host of special effects, most of them loud and designed to make the mysterious man with the six-pack abs (Jorge Paniagua) appear threatening. But despite gun shots and strobe lights and some very laughable projections, he, like the musical itself, just looks silly.

    ---

    The national tour of The Bodyguard runs through July 30 at the Music Hall at Fair Park, then August 1-6 at Bass Hall.

    Cox and the cast of The Bodyguard.

    Deborah Cox as Rachel Marron and Company in The Bodyguard
      
    Photo by Joan Marcus
    Cox and the cast of The Bodyguard.
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    Elon News

    Dallas bookstore and publisher gets federal arts funding axed

    Luciana Gomez
    May 7, 2025 | 12:17 pm
    Deep Vellum stack of books
    Deep Vellum
    Stack of books at Deep Vellum

    A Dallas arts organization got its budget chopped by the federal government: Deep Vellum, the bookstore and publisher at 3000 Commerce St., lost a National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant due to federal government budget cuts.

    According to owner Will Evans, the award, which is granted annually, has been terminated as of May 31. The bookstore had received $20,000 for the past six years.

    Deep Ellum started as a publisher in 2013 and opened their bookstore in Deep Ellum in 2015. Since then, they have become a center for literature lovers. Evans is a translator whose mission has been to translate the world’s best novels into English for American audiences.

    Evans was notified on May 2 via an email that was reportedly sent to grant recipients nationwide. The note read:

    "The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation's rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities."

    The new priorities included projects that elevate the Nation's HBCUs and Hispanic Serving Institutions, celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence, foster AI competency, empower houses of worship to serve communities, assist with disaster recovery, foster skilled trade jobs, make America healthy again, support military and veterans, support Tribal communities, make the District of Columbia safe and beautiful, and support the economic development of Asian American communities.

    The Grants and Public Affairs departments at NEA did not respond to a request for comment. On Monday May 5, the Literary Staff was laid off, and the agency is facing possible elimination entirely, as part of the 2026 Discretionary Budget Request presented to Congress on May 2.

    This year's grant to Deep Vellum was earmarked to fund the translation, publishing, and marketing costs of four books:

    • Carapace Dancer by Natalia Toledo, translated from Zapotec, published trilingually with Spanish and English translations alongside the original, translated by Clare Sullivan
    • Juvenilia by Hera Lindsay Bird of New Zealand, making her US debut, illustrated by Dallas artist Gino Dal Cin
    • Schattenfroh by Michael Lentz, translated from the German by Max Lawton, a 1001-page masterpiece and English-language debut
    • The Ruins by Ye Hui, translated from Chinese by Dong Li, the English-language debut from one of China's most distinguished and independent poets

    The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency established by Congress in 1965 as a funder of the arts and arts education in communities nationwide anxd a catalyst of public and private support for the arts with the goal of advancing opportunities for arts participation and practice, according to their website.

    In their last stats document updated in November 2024, their FY’24 budget was outlined as $207M (representing 0.03 percent of the total federal budget), with 80 percent of their budget supporting grants and awards to organizations and individuals across the country. They typically offer over 2,000 grants each year.

    "It’s been a strange few days for us, and for countless other nonprofit publishers, magazines, and arts organizations," Evans said.

    Despite the cut, Deep Vellum plans to continue to promote literacy through unique books translated to the English language.

    “This is not going to imperil our future but it’s something we need to consider as we move forward. These books are extraordinary, and they add so much for readers and culture. We just need to find additional revenue to fund them," Evans said.

    Evans was first to reveal the funding cut but a number of organizations across Dallas and Texas have seen similar cuts including Ballet North Texas, Flamenco Fever, Dallas Theater Center, and Bishop Arts Theatre Center, as well as a number of groups in Austin.

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