Luna Manzanares stars in the musical "The Bodyguard" in Spain

February 21, 2023

Cuban singer Luna Manzanares (1990) stars in The Bodyguard, a musical inspired by the film that brought Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner together on stage in 1992.

With a libretto by Alexander Dinelaris, the show is directed by Federico Bellone and had its premiere at the Teatro Calderón, Valladolid (Spain).

Luna Manzanares plays the character of Rachel Marron, a music superstar who lives in fear of an unknown stalker. The role of Frank Farmer is played by actor Octavi Pujades.

Among other songs, the musical includes the iconic "I Will always love you…" which made the film's soundtrack the best-selling soundtrack in history.

The newspaper El Norte de Castilla highlights that the musical not only focuses on the themes of the film, but also incorporates other "hits" from Whitney Houston's career. Those responsible stated that this is a tribute to the popular American singer who died on February 11, 2012.

"The musical respects the plot line of the film, but there are several things that vary. That's why it's important that the audience goes with an open mind to be surprised. She (Whitney Houston) set the benchmark. And the difficulty is not in playing Rachel Marron, but in the fact that Whitney did it in her day," said the singer.

Luna Manzanares came to the musical after a rigorous casting process and after having taken on the role of another music legend: Tina Turner, according to this source.

Previously, Cuban-born singer Chanel Terrero, Spain's representative at Eurovision 2022, took on the challenge that now occupies the interpreter of "Una mujer" and "Si te cansaste de mí".

Luna Manzanares: "I have embraced these four walls as my creative universe"

Luna Manzanares studied at the Conservatorio Amadeo Roldán and her repertoire mixes jazz, trovador music, Brazilian, and American music.

From March 2 to 5, The Bodyguard (the musical) will be presented at the Teatro Gayarre in Pamplona, Navarra.