Set your time machines to 2023, McFly.
Great Scott! It may not be October 26, 1985. Or November 12, 1955. Or October 21, 2015. However, the year is 2023 and Back To The Future: The Musical has time traveled its way onto Broadway.
The production flies across the pond from its 2022 Olivier Award Winning run on the West End in London, where it took home Best New Musical as well as multiple nominations across various categories.
Don’t worry, the John Rando directed musical comedy is still running in London on plutonium and positive vibes, but it’s two major stars – Tony Award Winner Roger Bart (Doc Brown) and Olivier Award Nominee Hugh Coles (George McFly) – transferred to New York with it.
And thank goodness they did because the show is worth seeing for many a reason, but those performances alone would be a compelling enough reason to buy a ticket. Bart’s Doc is a clear homage to Christopher Lloyd’s iconic character, but is played with an almost meta self awareness and sensitivity that affords Bart the ability to lean into slapstick comedy that translates well on stage and differentiates him from Lloyd. Hugh Coles’ McFly is a masterclass in the art of imitation – the physicality and vocal work is almost identical to Crispin Glover’s original character. It’s truly uncanny. Notable shout out to Liana Hunt, who showcased her range as Lorraine McFly. Casey Likes was a charming Marty McFly, Nathaniel Hackmann was a hate-able and aloof Biff, and the ensemble overall was delightful and full of energy.
Fans of the movie flock to the theatre from near and far – as seen by the sea of Marty McFly audience members dressed in an orange puffer vest, cap, and jeans – and many skeptical, or rather, curious about how true to the source material the musical adaptation would be. Like with any adaptation, there some noticeable changes to the story (book by Bob Gale, one of the creators/co-writers of the original film with Robert Zemeckis) – which made it more modern and digestible for a 2023 family audience (without giving anything away) – a lot of the subtle darkness of the film(s) disappeared – as if it was in the McFly family photo – and one could argue that those changes not only worked, but were necessary for this piece to work as a musical comedy. Musically (Music & Lyrics by Alan Silvestri) the show remains upbeat and high energy and is its own form of storytelling in the sense that the musical style for each song is telling of the timeframe we’re in. For 1985, the audience is treated to a number that sounds like an 80s pop song or a ballad with a hint of early electronica. Time travel to to 1955, we’re treated to a 50’s style number similar to the sounds of Doo-Wop or modern day, where the sound could be best described as futuristic. One thing remains for certain, the Back To The Future musical motif – the iconic one, that when you hear it, you hear mystery and adventure – weaves its way in and out throughout the duration of the 2 hour and 30 minute show. Don’t worry, The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode make notable appearances. One of the most notable highlights was the extremely dynamic choreography (Chris Bailey), which was a vessel for physical storytelling throughout the duration of the entire show. All in all, I’m a firm believer that the changes made make sense, we may not be using hoverboards as a primary mode of transportation, but no one can deny that the world has changed a lot in nearly 40 years.
We all knew that this production was going to arrive in style (a la a 1981 DeLorean), but the design (Tim Hatley & Chris Fisher), sound (Gareth Owen), video (Finn Ross), and lighting (Tim Lutkin & Hugh Vanstone) teams on this show really worked hard to make this production immersive on a grand scale, and that is no easy task. You really have to see it for yourself, but the moment you step into the Winter Garden theatre and into your seat, you are now a passenger on what can only be described as a massive DeLorean – which means one thing – the audience is about to time travel together and becomes part of the story. Super meta, I know. That’s just the start the immersive experiences and I don’t want to give too much away, but fans of the movie will feel like they are in that barn in 1955 and in the parking lot of the Twin Pines mall in 1985, and then some. While the production is grand in scale, it’s clear that the team was also meticulous and diligent regarding details, wanting to respect the original story and honor the fans. One of the coolest elements of this production are the easter eggs they threw in from the two sequels (which, I will argue were two of the best sequels in cinematic history) which subtly tip their hats to the beloved film franchise.
My recommendation would be to get in your DeLorean and drive 88 straight to the Winter Garden Theatre for a night full of fun and nostalgia. Visit https://www.backtothefuturemusical.com/new-york/ to learn more and get tickets.
