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Get to Know "The Bodyguard: Musical" Lead Actor Matt Blaker

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Now you can hum or sing Whitney Houston’s &quot;Run To You&quot; or &quot;I Will Always Love You&quot; while thinking of British theater star Matt Blaker. Rockwell and 9 Works Theatrical officially announced acclaimed West End star Matt Blaker as the lead actor in the Manila production of &quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical.&quot; The actor will play the titular and iconic role of Frank Farmer, played in the film version by Hollywood legend Kevin Costner.Adapted from the 1992 film The Bodyguard, which starred Houston and Costner, the musical follows the story of music superstar Rachel Marron (to be played by Christine Allado) and her bodyguard Frank Farmer, a former Secret Service agent, as they journey through the dangers of stardom and an unexpected romance amid the circumstances. The story unfolds while the audience enjoys the music of Houston’s greatest hits, which also include &quot;How Will I Know,&quot; &quot;Saving All My Love For You,&quot; and &quot;I Have Nothing.&quot;Less than 24 hours after he arrived in Manila, Matt generously granted Metro.Style an interview to get to know him better.Matt, having discovered his passion for acting early on, graduated from the Guildford School of Acting in Surrey, England, with a First-Class Degree in Musical Theater.“I&#x27;ve always been musical. I actually started playing the saxophone all the way through my younger years, and I played in big jazz orchestras in the U.K. Then, when I was 16, we did a production of &#x27;Grease&#x27; at school, and I decided I&#x27;d audition for the show and ended up playing Danny Zuko. From then on, I decided I&#x27;d rather be the center of attention than in the pit playing the music (laughs). From then on, it kind of just spiralled and I&#x27;ve been doing it ever since,” Matt shared, his sharp British humor emerging even in the throes of jetlag.<div> </div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756042396300batch_metro x the bodyguard musical matt blaker 2.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/>Matt Blaker, as photographed by Erron Ocampo for Metrophoto for Brands</div><div style="text-align:center"> </div>The actor’s impressive theater credits include playing Dick Trevor in &quot;Lady Be Good,&quot; Raoul in &quot;The Phantom of the Opera,&quot; Dexter Haven in &quot;High Society,&quot; Billy Bigelow in &quot;Carousel,&quot; Bob Gaudio in &quot;Jersey Boys,&quot; Ernst in &quot;Cabaret,&quot; James in &quot;Jesus Christ Superstar,&quot; Mr. Bingley in &quot;Pride and Prejudice,&quot; among others. Beyond theater, he has showcased his talent on screen in the Netflix hit series The and has also performed with &#x27;Jersey Boys&#x27; to an audience of over 700 million on China’s CCTV New Year’s Eve show.Asked what projects he considers memorable and close to his heart, Matt did not skip a beat in his response.“So many… and I think two really special ones for me—I&#x27;ve been in the &#x27;Phantom of the Opera&#x27; in the West End on two occasions. It was my first West End show in 2016, and I understudied the role of Raoul. And then in 2022, I went back and I played the role full-time, which was such a sort of a special occasion for me. I&#x27;ve done over a thousand performances of Phantom across the time I&#x27;ve been there, and it&#x27;s one that will sort of stay with me forever,” the actor shared.“A second show for me would be &#x27;Carousel.&#x27; It was the first show back post-COVID. So when everything shut down for COVID and my first job back, I played Billy Bigelow in a production of &#x27;Carousel&#x27; in the UK. I met my partner there and we&#x27;ve been together ever since—it’s really, really special and just sort of coming back to theater for the first time and getting to play such an iconic role in a world-class show, it&#x27;s a really special moment for me,” Matt added.He also considers another project as a perennial favorite. “I was part of the first international tour of &#x27;Jersey Boys,&#x27; which is my favorite show of all time! I think Manila is ready for a production of &#x27;Jersey Boys&#x27;—definitely the story of the four guys, the iconic music—that is that is a real pinnacle in my career and a really special show,” he passionately declared.&quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; reunites Matt with Filipina theater star and Grammy nominee Christine Allado, whom he has previously worked with on &#x27;Carousel.&#x27; Christine will be stepping into the role of Rachel Marron, the female lead previously played in the film by superstar Whitney Houston, in the musical.“I think Christine is amazing. She&#x27;s an absolute pro. We&#x27;ve worked together before, and we got on so well. I&#x27;m really looking forward to working with her again and watching her, you know, she&#x27;s not only beautiful and talented, but she can also sing. My gosh, can that girl sing, and it&#x27;s going to be really special for the Filipino audiences to have her come home and sing on a professional stage again,” he gushed.Now that he’s in Manila for &quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; rehearsals and for its highly anticipated 10-week run at Rockwell’s Proscenium Theater in Makati, Matt shared the story behind his involvement in the show.“[It’s a] bit of a different one for me. I think I got a call from Christine [Allado], actually. We&#x27;ve worked together previously, and we got on really, really well. She said, ‘I&#x27;m doing a production of &#x27;The Bodyguard&#x27; in Manila, and we need a Frank Farmer. I think you&#x27;d be great. What are you doing for the rest of the year?’ And I had a little gap in my calendar come up. I’ve just finished playing Billy Flynn in Chicago, and I said, ‘Brilliant! Let&#x27;s go. Let&#x27;s go to Manila. Let&#x27;s have a great time,’ and here we are, and I&#x27;m finally doing it,” Matt recalled.<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756042477061batch_metro x the bodyguard musical matt blaker 1.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div> </div>With his strong presence, nuanced acting, and proven versatility, Matt embodies the grit, discipline, and quiet intensity that define Frank Farmer. The actor was drawn to the character for a number of compelling reasons.“I think the best thing about the character is that he is a man so fuelled with his sense of duty. But he&#x27;s also a really passionate man, and you see so many sides to the character. He&#x27;s so multifaceted. He&#x27;s a family man, he&#x27;s a passionate man, he is a work-driven man, and there are so many different things you can play throughout the piece. You see all these different elements of his character, and that, as an actor, is an absolute gift because you get to show so many things. He&#x27;s a fully realized three-dimensional person,” he thoughtfully shared.Matt did not waste time preparing for the role and dived into research and studying the character.“I have seen the movie. I watched it when I got the job. I watched the film, and obviously, Kevin Costner&#x27;s performance is iconic. I think it&#x27;s nice to do my own version—you know, not to try and copy someone who&#x27;s done it before, and you know, I&#x27;d be a weak comparison to someone you know in such an iconic role as that. So I&#x27;ll very much bring my own personality and my own take on the role, and I&#x27;ve done my research and I read up on it, and I’m really looking forward to getting cracking in the rehearsals,” he excitedly shared.Apart from research, he’s also doing physical preparations for his job as Frank Farmer onstage. “This guy&#x27;s fit and he&#x27;s strong and he&#x27;s healthy, so I&#x27;m in the gym, I&#x27;m swimming, and I&#x27;m getting myself in shape to play the role every night—which is one of the main things so that I’d look like a real bodyguard. You&#x27;ve got to look [the part], you&#x27;ve got to walk the walk and talk the talk,” Matt remarked.Matt is looking forward to performing onstage every night in Manila, especially since it’s his first time in the Philippines as well. Asked what the Philippine audiences should expect, he confidently shared his thoughts.“This is a high-energy, passionate world-class production in Manila with some brilliant singers, actors, dancers, and it&#x27;s put together with an amazing creative team. It&#x27;s the thing to come and see in Manila,” he concluded.<div> </div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1756042494143batch_metro x the bodyguard musical matt blaker 3.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div style="text-align:center"> </div>Apart from Matt Blaker and Christine Allado, &quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; stellar cast members include Sheena Palad, Elian Santos, Giana Sarita, CJ Navato, Tim Yap, John Joven-Uy, Vien King, Jasper Jimenez, Paji Arceo, Jasmine Fitzgerald, Radha, Fay Castro, Winchester Lopez, Carmelle Ros, Richardson Yadao, Iya Villanueva, Vyen Villanueva, Alex Aure, Julio Laforteza, Natalie Duque, PJ Rebullida, Lorenz Martinez, and Lani Ligot.&quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; is directed by Robbie Guevara, together with Raul Montesa as assistant director, Daniel Bartolome as musical director, Mio Infante as scenographer, Arnold Trinidad as choreographer, Shakira Villa-Symes as lighting designer, Aji Manalo as sound engineer/designer, GA Fallarme as video and projection designer, Jay Aranda as technical director, and Elliza Aurelio as hair and makeup designer.Opening its curtains with a spectacular debut, &quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; will be the inaugural show to grace Rockwell’s new 780-seater state-of-the-art Proscenium Theater. The show runs from September 26, 2025 until October 19, 2025, at 8:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays, and 3:00 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, with tickets now available at ticketworld.com.ph.&quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; is a 9 Works Theatrical production, presented by ROCKWELL, with METRO as the official media partner, MAC Cosmetics as the official make-up partner, and Pitchworks as the official billboard partner. It is also supported by ABS-CBN, Aruga, Turkish Airlines, PilotTV, and The People Diary PH by Myra Ho.&quot;The Bodyguard: The Musical&quot; is presented through special arrangement with Theatrical Rights Worldwide.<div> </div>Photographer: Erron Ocampo for Metrophoto for BrandsVideographer: Pat BuenaobraEditor-in-Chief: Geolette EsguerraManaging Editor: Rick FormalejoIntern: Sophia AnchetaClothing: BOSS

You’d want to run to theater actor Matt Blaker and save all your love for him as he plays The Bodyguard in the Manila run of the highly anticipated musical.

You’d want to run to theater actor Matt Blaker and save all your love for him as he plays The Bodyguard in the Manila run of the highly anticipated musical.

Manila's 'The Bodyguard: The Musical' Leading Man: Get to Know West End Star Matt Blaker Better

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Manila's 'The Bodyguard: The Musical' Leading Man: Get to Know West End Star Matt Blaker Better

Grace Diez

Published Aug 24, 2025 09:35 PM PHT

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Updated Aug 24, 2025 09:37 PM PHT

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