The Bodyguard: Christine Allado’s interesting back story

Matt Blaker is Frank Farmer (Photo by JC Inocian for 9 Works Theatrical)

(All photos by JC Inocian, courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical)

The London West End’s veteran actor Matt Blaker, one of its most sought-after leading men, will play Frank Farmer in the highly anticipated Philippine premiere of The Bodyguard: The Musical, which will open Metro Manila’s newest venue of the performing arts, the Proscenium Theater at Rockwell Makati on Sept. 26, 2025. It is staged by 9 Works Theatrical. 

Frank Farmer is the handsome former secret-service agent turned celebrity bodyguard—a character made iconic in the famous musical and movie. 

Among the lead roles Blaker has played were Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera, Dexter Haven in High Society, Billy Bigelow in Carousel, Bob Gaudio in Jersey Boys, Ernst in Cabaret, James in Jesus Christ Superstar, Lt. Cable in South Pacific, Levi in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice and Dick Trevor in Lady, Be Good.

His most recent role was Billy Flynn (Richard Gere in the 2002 film) in the international tour of Chicago the musical.

Christine Allado as Esmeralda in ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ in a concert at Prince Edward Theatre in London. (Screenshot from Christine Allado FB page)

Santi Santamaria, managing director of 9 Works and the executive producer, told TheDiarist.ph, that it was Christine Allado, the Filipino-British actress who will play Rachel, who first told 9 Works Theatrical about Blaker. Santamaria said that, when he learned about Blaker’s previous roles and saw how handsome he is, “I told Christine he’s the one.  I knew he’s the perfect fit.”

Blaker is an alumnus of the Guildford School of Acting, with a first-class degree in musical theater. He has also appeared in the Netflix series The Crown.

Christine Allado will play Rachel Marron, the iconic role popularized by Whitney Houston in the 1992 film of the same title that was adapted into a musical in 2012 by playwright-screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris, the Oscar-winning co-writer of Birdman or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance.

Since Allado came into the local limelight, some background details about this theater artist who continues to win acclaim in London’s West End have been clarified.  Was she born to British and Filipino parents in England? Then there were reports she had early theater training in Trumpets Playshop, in musicals such as Joseph The Dreamer (JTD, and also that she studied Theater at the University of the Philippines Diliman. 

In an online chat with TheDiarist.ph, Allado said she is now Filipino-British because she has lived in London long enough to be a naturalized citizen. She was born on July 15, 1995 in Manila to Filipino parents, both singers. Her father is lawyer Jojo Allado, a baritone who performed with Christine in a concert here at Maybank Performing Arts Theater in 2017. Christine’s mother Letty is a financial planner and a soprano. 

In a 2017 interview with Inquirer Lifestyle, Christine said that at age seven, she joined an extension program for gifted kids at the UP College of Music. At nine, she started winning praise for an enchanting operatic voice and became a voice scholar under Fides Cuyugan Asencio, who would be National Artist. 

Growing up in Makati City, then Quezon City, she studied elementary and high school at St. Paul College Pasig, Inc. and joined summer theater workshops in Trumpets Playshop and Repertory Philippines. She was in the cast of Trumpets’ longest running Joseph The Dreamer and Atlantis Productions’ Hairspray, the former already an obscure memory now.

“Even my mom also can’t remember me doing it,” Allado told TheDiarist.ph, laughing. “But rest assured, I remember doing it!” 

At UP Diliman, she took up, not theater, but a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration.

She became active in several musical theater productions, particularly a supporting role in Atlantis Productions’ Hairspray, in her freshman year at UP Diliman, in 2008.

“I was Amber Von Tussle, anak ni Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo (who played Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray),” Allado said. In a message to TheDiarist.ph, Lauchengco-Yulo said, “From the minute rehearsals for Hairspray began, I knew that Christine was a talent to watch out for. She was amazing with a wonderful voice. So proud of how far she has come.”

On Allado’s second year in college, she was given a big opportunity away from home. In early 2009, she was only 18 when she chose to give up school and to leave for Hong Kong to work at Hong Kong Disneyland, where she played leads in regular shows such as The Golden Mickeys and High School Musical.

She juggled work and trying to finish her course online.

 “I only did two years at UP and continued with UP Open university online because I moved to Hong Kong. I wasn’t able to maintain (my studies) and didn’t graduate,” she told TheDiarist.ph.

When she had enough savings, she asked for a seven-day break from Disneyland and went to London to audition in some shows. 

‘I had an entire year of nothing. I did not get anything. I was working in a casino, I was handing out flyers….’

In time she decided to move to London and study at the Royal Academy of Music, and survived on odd jobs. In 2013, she earned her musical theater degree from the prestigious school. 

In the 2017 interview with Inquirer Lifestyle, she said, “I had an entire year of nothing. I did not get anything. I was working in a casino, I was handing out flyers, I would be an usher. I was really close to throwing in the towel and thinking of doing something else, but stuff happens. I changed my agent and it catapulted from there.”

Then came the audition for Hamilton, and rest, as they say, is history. 

She’s a “multi-Grammy-nominated artist, triple threat international star of screen and stage, and one of London’s West End leading ladies,” reads the announcement of 9 Works Theatrical about Allado.

She is playing Esmeralda this August in the musical adaptation of Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, in concert at Prince Edward Theatre in London.

She recently starred as Julie Jordan in the Royal Festival Hall’s orchestral summer season of Carousel. Among her theater credits is playing the titular role of Jo in the latest iteration of Jo: Little Women Musical at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

READ: Christine Allado stars in The Bodyguard The Musical at Proscenium Theater

The Manila premiere of The Bodyguard The Musical will have notable artists in the cast and ensemble.

The much-awarded actor Vien King (Gawad Buhay, LEAF Awards) is Agent Laney. He has been known for playing lead characters in notable productions like Ibarra in Liwanag Sa Dilim, Rama in Rama Hari, Michael in Tick, Tick… Boom! and Buddy Foster in the just concluded Side Show:The Musical  by Sandbox Collective. King played the Half-Man Half-Woman character in the Atlantis Theatrical Entertainment Group production of Side Show in 2018 at Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium in RCBC Plaza, directed by Steven Conde. 

READ: Side Show: The Musical: A strong showcase for Filipino talent that could have done more

“Being part of The Bodyguard is such an exciting ride. Full of music, tension, and high stakes. Getting the role of Agent Laney makes it even better… nothing like I’ve ever done before. Grateful and thankful to my 9 Works family for making me part of this iconic material,” King told TheDiarist.ph in Messenger. 

Host and eventologist Tim Yap will play Sy Spector, a character who, aptly enough, is Rachel Marron’s publicist  

Tim Yap as Su Spector (9 Works Theatrical FB)

Host and eventologist Tim Yap will play Sy Spector, a character who, aptly enough, is Rachel Marron’s publicist.  Yap isn’t new to theater. In his youth, he joined Repertory workshops. He was also DJ Dalang the narrator in Ballet Philippines’ Darna, staged at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2003. 

Sheena Palad as Rachel’s older sister NIcki

Sheena Palad plays Rachel’s older sister Nicki Marron. Palad is an awarded gospel singer who recently was in Repertory’s Going Home To Christmas, and in Trumpets Playshops’ Joseph The Dreamer. 

READ: Repertory Philippines to stage more shows in its new home in 2025

CJ Navato as Ray Court

CJ Navato, who is still playing Terry Connor in the ongoing Side Show The Musical, is Ray Court, a fellow bodyguard who supports Frank Farmer.  Navato’s more recent theatrical works were with Liwanag Sa Dilim and One More Chance The Musical.

John Joven Uy as Bill Devaney

John Joven Uy is Bill Devaney, the father-figure manager of Rachel. Uy was in Miss Saigon (Germany) and Song of Joseph (Broadway). 

Jasper John Jimenez plays Tony Scibelli, one of Rachel Marron’s supporting security aides. Jimenez was in Liwanag Sa Dilim, Buruguduystunstugudunstuy, Ang Huling El Bimbo, and both the musical and recent movie version of Himala: Isang Musikal.

Other members of the ensemble are Radha (Once On This Island) of hip-hop group Kulay; Jasmine Fitzgerald (Once On This Island, Rent, Passion); Fay Castro (Rent, Once On This Island, Liwanag Sa Dilim Musical, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, Snow White and the Prince, All Out of Love, Side Show: The Musical);  Paji Arceo (Liwanag Sa Dilim, One More Chance The Musical); Lorenz Martinez (Once on This Island, Joseph The Dreamer); Elian Santos (Liwanag Sa Dilim, Si Medea, Ibarra, Joseph the Dreamer); and Giani Sarita (Liwanag Sa Dilim).

The dance team includes Julio Laforteza, Carmelle “Ching” Ros, Natalie Duque, Vyen Villanueva, Alex Aure, Richardson Yadao, Iya Villanueva and Winchester Lopez.

Yadao, a two-time Gawad Buhay Awardee dance artist-educator-choreographer, is with the Alice Reyes Dance Philippines.