Thea Sharrock to Direct West End THE BODYGUARD for November Opening Starring Heather Headley and Lloyd Owen

Thea Sharrock is to direct The Bodyguard, a new musical opening at the Adelphi Theatre in Autumn 2012 based on the Warner Bros. film of the same name with screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan. Starring Heather Headley as Rachel Marron and Lloyd Owen as Frank Farmer in the roles made famous on film by the late Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, tickets for The Bodyguard go on sale today (1 May 2012) taking bookings until 27 April 2013 for the production's first booking period. Previews begin on 6 November 2012, twenty years after the release of the Oscar nominated film. Opening night is 5 December.

Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge; what they don't expect is to fall in love. A romantic thriller, The Bodyguard features a multitude of Whitney Houston's greatest hits including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, I'm Your Baby Tonight, Run to You, I Have Nothing, How Will I Know, I Wanna Dance With Somebody and one of the greatest hit songs of all time - I Will Always Love You.

Book is by Alex Dinelaris, with designs by Tim Hatley, lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Richard Brooker. Choreography is by Arthur Pita, orchestrations by Chris Egan and musical supervision by Mike Dixon. The Bodyguard is produced by Michael Harrison and David Ian.

Tony and Grammy award-winning Heather Headley will make her West End stage debut as Rachel Marron. Having originated the role of Nala in The Lion King on Broadway, Headley went on to play the title role in Aida for which she won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Her debut solo album, This is Who I Am, was nominated for two Grammy Awards. Her third studio album, Audience of One, won the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album. In recent years she has worked extensively with Andrea Bocelli on his American and international tours and sung at the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

Lloyd Owen was last on stage in London playing leading roles in Sarah Helm's Loyalty at Hampstead Theatre and J T Rogers Blood and Gifts at The National Theatre. Previously his theatre credits include The York Realist for the Royal Court, Julius Caesar for the Young Vic, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for The Almeida Theatre and The Way of the World for the Royal Exchange Theatre. On television Owen is best known for playing Paul Bowman-MacDonald in the BBC's long running drama Monarch of the Glen and Indiana Jones' father Professor Henry Jones, Sr, in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. His other television credits include Ghost Squad, The Vice, Coupling, Wire in the Blood and Dead Gorgeous. His film credits include Apollo 18, Miss Potter, The Republic of Love and Between Dreams and the forthcoming Free Ride with Anna Paquin and Drea de Matteo.

Thea Sharrock's production of 13 completed a run at The National Theatre last year where she previously directed After The Dance for which she won the 2011 Olivier Award for Best Revival, Happy Now? and The Emperor Jones. Later this month Thea Sharrock's production of Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys with Danny DeVito and Richard Griffiths opens at the Savoy Theatre, reuniting her with Griffiths who she directed in Equus both in the West End and on Broadway and in Heroes at the Wyndham's Theatre. Her other theatre credits include Cause Célèbre for the Old Vic and The Misanthrope at the Comedy Theatre. Sharrock was previously Artistic Director at the Southwark Playhouse (2001-2003) and the Gate Theatre (2004-2006).

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