Now landing on Broadway after premiering on the West End, Back to the Future brings the beloved 1985 film to life on the stage with fast-paced comedy, spectacular special effects, and high-energy musical numbers.
Based on the film of the film of the same name, Back to the Future got a facelift for the 2020s audience. Back to the Future opens with Marty McFly, a seventeen-year-old high school student looking for Doc Brown, a disgraced nuclear physicist, and finding him in the final stages of testing his latest invention—a time-traveling Delorean. Doc inserts the plutonium vessel, known to be toxic to the touch, into the car with the hopes that it will provide enough power to time travel. Just as Doc Brown goes to insert the vessel, he accidentally touches the plutonium. Marty jumps in the Deloran to rush to get help, but as he accelerates the vehicle, he activates the time machine mechanism and gets sent back in time with a Delorean that only responds to Doc Brown’s voice.
Now stuck in 1955, Marty tries to locate Doc Brown in the past to help Marty return to the future, but before he makes it to Doc Brown, he encounters his parents—George McFly and Lorraine Baines— as high school students. Marty has to tread carefully, as any interaction he has could alter the timeline. After a run-in with his father, George, Marty’s mother, Lorraine Baines McFly, finds him and takes him back to her house to nurse him back to health. As Lorraine cares for Marty, she develops a crush on him, which becomes dicey as it could potentially alter the timeline and threaten Marty and his siblings’ existence. Marty races against time to find Doc Brown, return to 1985, and save his family’s timeline.
The highlight of this production is its use of special effects, which bring the audience into Marty’s world. It’s not every day an audience sits down to see a Delorean drive on stage.
This production is high energy and fun for fans of the film or the family. With upbeat orchestrations, witty humor, and high-energy ensemble dance numbers, it will leave audiences with smiles on their faces.
While the music is not a particular strength of this production, it paves the way for the audience to have fun, laugh, and enjoy themselves. Though not exactly memorable, it is upbeat and enjoyable, with a dash of nostalgia.
One highlight of the production is the interactions between Marty McFly (Casey Likes) and Doc Brown (Roger Bart). The pair’s effortless comedy perfectly captures the generational differences between Marty and Doc Brown. It is clear that Likes and Bart have great stage presence together and together have great talent in delivering their comedic bits.
Likes seemingly has a knack for capturing the outcast teenager. He made his Broadway debut in Almost Famous as William Miller and shortly after jumped into Marty McFly’s shoes in Back to the Future. It is nothing short of incredible to see Likes’ star rise, as he always gives an outstanding performance.
The supporting cast is also exceptional in their roles, making the production run like a well-oiled machine. At this performance, Becca Peterson played Lorraine and was easily a highlight of the production. Peterson masterfully jumps into the role and makes it her own.
With highly produced special effects and bringing a beloved film to life on stage, Back to the Future not only encapsulates the ability of technical and practical effects on stage but also begs the question of whether a stage production should be so highly produced. While the production is a lot of fun and brings high energy to the stage with a talented cast of performers, it loses the artful aspect of theatre and stage production. It feels highly overproduced and like audiences are watching the film performed live.
Though it is enjoyable, it’s evident this production is another quick cash grab in the recent film-to-stage trend. It’s possible to acknowledge the aspects of the production that are fun and that the cast is excellent while still questioning the need for productions like this on Broadway.
Catch Back to the Future on Broadway at the Wintergarden Theatre or on tour coming to a city near you.
The Broadway Edit 