North Shore Music Theatre Shares Initial Casting for THE BODYGUARD

Bill Hanney's award-winning North Shore Music Theatre (NSMT) announces that Cheaza Figueroa and Judson Mills will lead the cast of THE BODYGUARD as Rachel Marron and Frank Farmer, the roles made famous by Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner in the smash hit 1992 movie. The Boston area Premiere of THE BODYGUARD plays from Tuesday, October 29 - November 10, 2019. Casting is ongoing and a full cast and creative team will be announced at a later date.

"I am very proud to announce the casting of our leads in The Bodyguard, a show I fell in love with when I first saw it in London a few years ago. As you can imagine, this was not an easy show to cast," said Bill Hanney, NSMT owner and producer. "We were so fortunate to find Cheaza Figueroa to take on this role made famous by Whitney Houston. Cheaza blew us away with her audition and she is going to blow the roof off of the theatre nightly with these Whitney Huston classics. Her love of Whitney shines thru in her singing. I have also had the pleasure of seeing Judson Mills play Frank Farmer on the tour a few times and his skilled performance balances the toughness and romance needed for this role. He never fails to charm audiences. These two dynamic performers will undoubtedly live up to all of the expectation held by the loyal fans of this movie, this music, and this theatre."

THE BODYGUARD is a new musical based on the smash hit 1992 film! 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 breathtakingly romantic thriller, THE BODYGUARD features a host of irresistible Whitney Houston classics including Queen of the Night, So Emotional, One Moment in Time, Saving All My Love, Run to You, I Have Nothing, I Wanna Dance with Somebody and one of the biggest selling songs of all time - I Will Always Love You.

Currently based in Las Vegas, singer and actress Cheaza Figueroa has journeyed from commercials, to trade shows, to modeling, to television appearances on shows including E!'s "Ice Loves Coco," NBC's "City Guys," and "The View." She has been featured on MTV's "The X Factor", "Extra," "South of Nowhere," "Malcolm In the Middle," and Universal Pictures' Bring It On; In It to Win It. She has also sang/improvised with Wayne Brady and can be heard singing on his album, "A Long Time Coming." She's graced stages from Carnegie Hall in New York City, the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, to the Las Vegas Strip. Cheaza was the lead singer and host for 4.5 years in one of the Strip's hottest performances, sexy modern burlesque show Peepshow at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino. The musical was created by an award-winning team, led by Tony Award-winning creator, director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. Cheaza has also performed as a lead singer in one of the longest ongoing shows in Las Vegas, Don Arden's Jubilee. She has also shared the stage and recorded with Artists Jon Secada, All-4-One, Marie Osmond, Barry Manilow and many more. She's just completed filming a feature film, Temporary Forevers set to be released in early 2020 and is currently a guest Entertainer on major cruise lines across the world.

Judson Mills was born in Washington D.C. and grew up in a small town in Northern Virginia. Mills majored in Theatre at Barry University in Miami after being inspired to pursue acting in high school, and continued onto the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York afterward. After school, he booked his first audition and spent 3 years on the soap opera "As The World Turns." Mills has since done over 35 guest starring roles on television including "Law and Order," "The X Files," "Dexter," "The Mentalist," ABC's new "Notorious" and can be seen on HBO's new hit series from JJ Abrams, "Westworld." Judson was also a series regular alongside Chuck Norris on the popular action show "Walker, Texas Ranger" from CBS. He went on to star with Mr. Norris in "The Presidents Man: A Line in the Sand" for CBS. Mills has appeared in 20 feature films including Major League 3: Back to the Minors, Mighty Joe Young, Chill Factor and the Academy Award nominated Gods and Monsters. Judson originated the role of Frank Farmer in the American Premiere of THE BODYGUARD in 2016 and has spent the past few years touring the country with the show.

Tickets for THE BODYGUARD are priced starting from $61 - $86. Kids 18 and under save 50%. $25 Student Rush tickets are available with a valid student I.D. starting one hour prior to curtain time. Group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more. Prices are subject to change without notice. Phone, internet, and other fees may be applied at time of sale.

THE BODYGUARD performances are October 29 - November 10, Tue - Thurs at 7:30 pm, Fri & Sat at 8 pm, matinees Wed, Sat and Sun at 2 pm. For tickets and information call (978) 232-7200, visit nsmt.org, or visit the box office at 62 Dunham Rd., Beverly, MA.