Paulini Is Learning To Be A Diva For Her Starring Role In The Bodyguard The Musical

For decades, R&B popstar Paulini Curuenavuli has had a perfect, vivid memory.

It's of Kevin Costner as Francis 'Frank' Farmer, watching a small TV. In tight close-up on screen is Whitney Houston's face. The camera pulls back to reveal her draped in white and behind her, a glimpse of sky.

It's a music video for Run To You, and as he watches it, the cold, businesslike bodyguard leans slowly forward in his chair. He is transfixed. The camera lingers on his face; there's a change in his eyes. A new softness. From above, Whitney Houston watches him watch her recorded visage, both woman and superstar, both close to him and a universe away.

To Curuenavuli, this is the essence of The Bodyguard, the 1992 film starring her idol, Whitney Houston. The romance/thriller became one of the most cherished blockbusters of the '90s, capturing Houston at the height of her talents. Two of the songs from its smash-hit soundtrack - I Have Nothing and Curuenavuli's cherished Run To You - were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. (They lost to A Whole New World from Aladdin).

"It's stuck with me throughout the years," Curuenavuli says as she talks warmly about the scene. "When the movie came out, I was ten years old; I wasn't allowed to watch it. But my sisters were, and I heard the music and saw [the Run To You scene] and it really stood out to me. I remember it perfectly. When Kevin Costner is sitting there, watching her on screen... I've gotta say, it's one of my favourite movies of all time."

Exactly one week after speaking to The Music, Curuenavuli was due to begin rehearsals for The Bodyguard The Musical - an onstage revival of the movie. Starring as singer/actor Rachel Marron, Curuenavuli will appear opposite dancer and recent Neighbours star Kip Gamblin as Farmer, the bodyguard sent to protect her from a dangerous stalker.

The characters couldn't be more different ("they butt heads a lot," Curuenavuli says, not without delight), so of course they're attracted to each other.  The musical captures the romantic clash of opinion between diva and professional —  and it's packed with even more Whitney songs than the original movie.

"To debut in musical theatre and have this type of role, a role that was played by my musical inspiration when I was a girl, is a dream come true."

Curuenavuli didn't watch musicals or go to shows growing up, but in the last few years, she says she's really gotten into them. "The first musical I ever saw live was The Lion King, and I remember walking out going 'Wow! I can see myself doing something like that.'"

It's a new challenge for Curuenavuli, a solo artist who made a splash on the first season of Australian Idol back in 2003. Ever since her Idol days, Curuenavuli — armed with her indomitable five-octave range —  has enjoyed a solid recording career. She's picked up two ARIA awards along the way and has been nominated for more, including nods for the Australian/New Zealand Urban Music Awards and Poprepublic IT List Awards. She's collaborated with Ronan Keating, performed with the Young Divas and Guy Sebastian, and even tried her hand at TV acting - but musical theatre has, until now, been uncharted territory.

She has a lot on her mind as she stares down a stage debut that will inevitably draw comparisons with the legendary singer who first brought the role to the screen. She needs to channel her inner diva - she laughs when I ask her if she is anything like Whitney's famous character - but her most important preparation for the role has been getting show fit.

'Show fit', Curuenavuli says, is a "musical theatre term." She's learned the professional lingo from her new industry peers. "It's making sure you're fit, that you're exercising every day, watching what you eat, sleeping well and being prepared.

"It's gonna be awesome being on stage with the whole cast. That's not something I'm used to. I won't be up there on my own. It won't feel like 'all eyes on me.' I've heard that you become a family up there, and I can't wait to feel that feeling."

But Curuenavuli is already feeling a lot of feelings. "To debut in musical theatre and have this type of role, a role that was played by my musical inspiration when I was a girl, is a dream come true. I think a lot of who I am and who I've become is because of [Whitney]."

Later, when I ask Paulini what romance means to her, she says, "I guess it means letting your walls down and just falling in love. Just letting yourself be exposed." It sounds a lot like what might have been going on inside Frank Farmer's mind as he watched Rachel Marron sing Run To You from his television screen.

The Bodyguard The Musical plays 21 Apr — 25 Jun at Sydney Lyric Theatre.