Singer Belinda Davids has been cast as Rachel Marron in the first South African staging of The Bodyguard musical, Woman and Home Magazine reported.
It will be her first role in musical theatre. The Gqeberha-born singer is best known for performing the songs of Whitney Houston on stages around the world.
The show will open at Artscape in Cape Town on 12 March 2027. It will then move to the Teatro at Montecasino in Johannesburg in April.
According to the magazine, the production will use an all-South African cast, crew and band. More casting news is still to come.
The role will ask Davids to act and dance as well as sing. Until now, most of her international career has been built on concerts.
The musical is based on the 1992 film that starred Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner. It tells the story of superstar singer Rachel Marron and Frank Farmer, the bodyguard hired to protect her.
Farmer is brought in after Rachel starts to receive threats. The two do not get along at first, but their bond grows as the danger around her increases.
The stage show uses Houston’s music. Songs include I Will Always Love You, I Wanna Dance with Somebody, Queen of the Night, I Have Nothing, Run to You and So Emotional.
Davids knows these songs well. She has performed Houston’s music for years in a tribute show called The Greatest Love of All.
That show has taken her to venues in South Africa, the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand, among other places.
Davids started singing professionally as a teenager. She became known around the world for her four-octave vocal range and for handling Houston’s difficult songs.
In 2020 she reached the semi-finals of Britain’s Got Talent. She sang One Moment in Time at her audition.
She came back for the fourth semi-final with I Have Nothing. She finished second in the public vote for that episode.
In 2023 she won a Golden Buzzer on Spain’s Got Talent: All-Stars.
The original film came out more than 30 years ago and became a global hit. Its soundtrack became one of the most successful soundtrack albums ever released.
The magazine reported that Davids has spoken for years about how Houston shaped her own music.
Tickets for the South African season are on sale through Ticketmaster. The production carries a PG12 age recommendation.
Source: this article is based on reporting by Woman and Home Magazine. Image: Woman and Home Magazine. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Entertainment desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Rirhandzu Baloyi writes about entertainment for Tzaneen Voice. Rirhandzu covers South African music, film, TV, streaming, awards and celebrity news, from amapiano and local soapies to Showmax and Netflix releases. Stories stick to what happened, who was involved and when fans can watch or listen.