ADRIAN — The music of pop legend Whitney Houston, one of the best-selling music artists in history, will take center stage at the Croswell Opera House when the theater produces “The Bodyguard” from June 7-16.
The musical is based on the 1992 film of the same name. It follows the story of a fictional singer, Rachel Marron — played by Houston in the movie — and the former Secret Service agent who is hired to protect her from a stalker who has been sending her death threats.
The show includes many of Houston’s biggest hits, including “I Have Nothing,” “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” “Queen of the Night,” and “I Will Always Love You.”
In the Croswell’s production, the role of Rachel is played by Arielle Crosby, a Detroit-based professional actress whose recent credits include “The Color Purple” at Short North Stage in Columbus, Ohio; “Little Shop of Horrors” and The Who’s “Tommy” at Flint Repertory Theatre; and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” at The Encore Musical Theatre Company in Dexter.
Outside the area, she has performed at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Oregon, and was in the national tour of “Motown: The Musical.”
The show is directed by Michael Yuen, with music direction by Josh Glover and choreography by Sarah Nowak.
Anjewel Lenoir of Adrian plays Rachel’s sister, Nicki. Steven Kiss of Lambertville plays the titular bodyguard, Frank Farmer. King Brinson of Adrian plays Rachel’s young son, Fletcher. Maxwell Lam of Adrian plays the stalker.
Additional roles include Megan Clark of Adrian as Rachel’s publicist, Tori Bruce of Onsted as her manager, Steve Antalek of Adrian as Rachel’s previous bodyguard who resents Frank Farmer’s presence, and Aiden Ketola of Adrian as Rachel’s concert stage manager.
In the ensemble are Kylie Bushman, Rafe Jacobs, Abigail Knight, Isabela Orozco-Guerrero, Xavier Sarabia and Eli Stachowske, all of Adrian; Matelyn Yarbrough of Cement City; Quinn Fritz of Commerce Township; Sophia Zebrowski of Saline; Leah Wathen of Ypsilanti; and Nathan Glover of Toledo.
Performance dates and times are:
- Friday, June 7 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, June 8 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, June 9 at 2:30 p.m.
- Thursday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, June 14 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, June 15 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, June 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets range from $22 to $44 for adults and $15 to $25 for students.
The show is listed as suitable for adults and teens. It contains some sexual situations.
The Croswell is reminding patrons that third-party resale sites are not authorized by the Croswell, and often attempt to charge prices far in excess of the tickets’ face value. These sites often advertise on search engines to try to get people to buy from them instead of directly from venues. The Croswell never sells tickets to any show for more than the advertised price.
Tickets may be ordered in person at 129 E. Maumee St., Adrian; by calling 517-264-7469; or online at croswell.org.
