Australian actor, singer & dancer Adam Garcia appears as former secret-service agent Frank Farmer in award-winning musical The Bodyguard when it visits the Midlands this month.

Based on the Oscar-nominated 1992 movie starring Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner, the musical features a host of irresistible and classic songs, including Queen Of The Night, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance With Somebody, and one of the biggest hits of all time: I Will Always Love You.

What’s On caught up with Adam to find out more about his life and career...

Smash-hit musical The Bodyguard visits Birmingham this month, starring Adam Garcia as Frank Farmer, the titular character.

Based on the 1992 movie of the same name, with Kevin Costner in the title role and Whitney Houston making her film debut, the story follows former secret-service agent Frank as he is hired to protect a superstar singer after she receives death threats from an unknown stalker.

“Frank is resolute, loyal and honourable,” explains Adam. “He’s kind of quiet, and speaks when he needs to. He’s efficient, well-trained and possibly slightly jaded, but he’s a good man. Am I anything like him? Not at all! I was speaking to my wife about this, and she was like ‘Now, if you could just be like Frank...’ The same thing happened when I did a show called If/Then, and she said ‘The guy you played was really lovely... Maybe it’ll wash off!’”

Adam and his family spend their time between the UK, Australia and the United States. It was in London that his interest in The Bodyguard was first piqued.

“I remember seeing opening night when it first played the Adelphi, and I loved it. The choreography is amazing, as is the way it’s staged and structured. To transpose that from film to stage isn’t easy because the film is grand gestures and small gestures at the same time.”

Being a lover of both the movie and stage versions, Adam has his own ideas about why the story has been so successful.

“It’s about heroes and villains, and it’s about how these two people are drawn to one another - yet it’s a forbidden love. There’s something about the need of these two people, and yet they’re not meant to have this, which is quite a beautiful story. I guess you can go into tropes, but there’s a fantasy element of a knight in shining armour, or someone always there in the background to take care of you and your family. That’s got romantic overtones, too. I’m looking forward to delving into how Frank and Rachel contrast, why they get on, why they might not get on, and where the friction is - because that’s the exciting bit.”

The film’s Grammy Award-winning soundtrack, recorded by Whitney Houston, features a host of well-known hits, including her chart-topping version of I Will Always Love You, written and originally recorded in 1973 by Dolly Parton. However, Adam’s favourite number is a bit more upbeat.

“I’ve always loved I Wanna Dance With Somebody. I grew up with that song, and watching the dancers in the video. If I’m out somewhere and it comes on, then I’m up and dancing straight away; no problem, no questions asked!”

Adam quit Sydney University to appear in a touring production of the musical Hot Shoe Shuffle, but he has no regrets about his move into showbiz from academia.

“Every now and then, I look at universities or online universities to see whether I can still do a degree in ecology or soil biology. I was interested in mangroves and intertidal environments, of which there are lots in England because it’s an island. And I love soil biology. I think it’s a really important part of agriculture.”

Adam came to fame in the stage-musical version of Saturday Night Fever, playing the lead role of Tony Manero in the original West End production in 1998.

“It was a blur at the time, but it has sort of crystallised the older I’ve got. I don’t remember the fatigue of it all, but when I went into the Palladium recently, I saw the scale of it. When I was there in Saturday Night Fever, it didn’t occur to me how big or how monumental it was. I think that was a benefit, otherwise it would’ve overwhelmed me. I just got on with the job.”

Since then, he’s played Fiyero in Wicked -  alongside Idina Menzel - worked with Trevor Nunn and Hannah Waddingham in Kiss Me, Kate, and made appearances in numerous plays and musicals. He’s also taken on the role of judge on Got To Dance, alongside Ashley Banjo and Kimberly Wyatt.

Although dancing has been a cornerstone of his career for over 20 years, Adam has managed to avoid any serious mishaps.

“I’ve been lucky - touch wood! On Singin’ In The Rain, I had a torn calf, but other than that, I’ve had nothing that’s really restricted me. And I still get to dance - which is pretty surprising for a 52-year-old!”

Having kept fit enough to strut his stuff on stage, has Adam ever considered becoming a bodyguard in real life?

“Yes, and no. Many years ago, I went to a club in London that was really hard to get into. There was a table that I really wanted to sit at, so I pretended to be a bodyguard for some other people who were there. It was all about the attitude of being unflinching, and scanning the room, and I did manage to get a good couple of feet in front of me where no one would come into the same space. They assumed the people I was pretending to be guarding were important. I don’t actually think that they were, but it was about creating an illusion or a presence of power and authority. So, after that, I can say that I’ve had a taste of it!”
For now, however, Adam is sticking to the stage - and looking forward to touring different venues around the UK.

“The real joy is getting to see the country and getting to see different audiences and how they respond. For me, it’s also about going to really lovely old theatres and phenomenal theatre towns where audiences love plays and musicals and the venues are packed every night. And it’s about visiting relatively new theatres, too. The theatre scene and the touring scene around the UK seem really healthy to me - with audiences who support their local theatres and go regularly - so I’m very grateful for that.”

And as Adam prepares for life on the road again, there’s one commonplace item that he couldn’t live without.

“I have a very special backpack that I’ve been touring with for a while. It’s really efficient, and it packs everything I need. I also have a suitcase that goes on the bus, of course, but I like my trusty backpack. That, and a set of good headphones.”

The Bodyguard shows at The Alexandra, Birmingham, from Saturday 20 to Saturday 27 September, and then at the Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, from Monday 3 to Saturday 8 November

By Jessica Clixby