BACK TO THE FUTURE On Broadway - News & Discussion Thread- Page 2

[Owen22]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 7:27pm

Actually, I enjoyed Bart, as he seems to be the only actor not doing a stage impression of their character from the movie. Though some are very good copies.

This show, though winning an Olivier, has never been near a hit in London, so color me surprised at its transfer. Its enjoyable enough, very well directed and very obviously expensive. Too slavishly bowing to the film, but I guess that's what's popular with tourists these days.

[Kad]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 7:47pm

This kind of feels like it has flop energy to me. Not necessarily due to its quality, but just… the general vibe. An enormous London transfer of an adaptation of a popular property that nobody particularly wanted as a musical does not seem like it bodes well.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 8:03pm

Is it not doing well in London? 

I watched the trailer and it, to me, came off as super cheesy, but I've never been a fan of the film. Seems like pretty much every movie-to-musical is a flop these days. 

Every successful musical has been either a relatively unknown entity or a completely new story. I don't get why they keep trying to churn these things out. I guess Licensing. 

[BroadwayNYC2]

Posted: 6/22/22 at 8:08pm

I mentioned this in the other thread, but I expected to hate this but had a blast. The first twenty minutes could use some tightening, but I had a smile on the entire time. One of the best spectacle shows I’ve seen in years. It will fit perfectly at the Broadway 

The Adelphi in London is surprisingly narrow (waitress played there) but the show needs a large theatre with seats for the economics to work. 

Updated On: 6/22/22 at 08:08 PM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 10:44am

Some gossip from Johnny O in the NY Post, to take with a grain of salt:

- BTTF will open at the Winter Garden in Spring 2023.

- Music Man won't replace Hugh when he leaves in November, per a source close to Music Man.

- Olly Dobson unlikely to come to Bway; Roger Bart IS likely to play Doc Brown on Bway.

Updated On: 6/23/22 at 10:44 AM

[DramaTeach]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 4:11pm

Disappointing. I like Roger Bart in general but not a fan of him in this based on what I’ve seen. He didn’t even get an Olivier nomination.

[felixleiter]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 4:17pm

This is correct.  My post about the Winter Garden is based on a conversation I had with some IATSE members working on MM right now who have been told that the next production they will have in there will be the Broadway Transfer of Back to the Future. 

[Valentina3]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 4:35pm

Kad said: "This kind of feels like it has flop energy to me. Not necessarily due to its quality, but just… the general vibe. An enormous London transfer of an adaptation of a popular property that nobody particularly wanted as a musical does not seem like it bodes well."

It is Groundhog Day, all over again.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 4:41pm

Valentina3 said: "It is Groundhog Day, all over again."

Groundhog Day.....Willy Wonka.....Tina.....Ghost.....even Billy Elliot underperformed on Bway despite a 3-year run.

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 5:20pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "Valentina3 said: "It is Groundhog Day, all over again."

Groundhog Day.....Willy Wonka.....Tina.....Ghost.....even Billy Elliot underperformed on Bway despite a 3-year run."

Billy Elliot won the Tony and made a profit. I didn't under perform. 

I loved Groundhog Dog. Thought it departed from the movie and was a lot of fun. 

This just seems...not good. If the score isn't worth it, what's the point?

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 5:28pm

Ted Arthur reposted the Broadway teaser for this show on his Insta story yesterday. Something tells me he's attached to the music team in some way. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/23/22 at 5:40pm

RippedMan said: "Billy Elliot won the Tony and made a profit. I didn't under perform."

I'm not calling it a "flop" by any means, but the producers were expecting a better financial performance/longer run on Broadway than it actually had. It ran 11 years in London. The infrastructure of training and constantly replacing the dancers was tough. It lost the Tony for Best Score. It was never a cultural phenomenon here in the way that it was in the UK. On the flip side, I'm sure things like HAMILTON will run longer on Broadway than in the UK. MATILDA was a similar situation in NYC, though it ran slightly longer, but it had dismal financial returns post-recoupment.

Hard to compare GROUNDHOG DAY London vs Broadway, because in London it was a limited engagement at a nonprofit theatre.

[Midnight Radio]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 7:03am

The production is the star. Any scene with the DeLorean was incredible, and this show has some of the best stage magic I have ever seen. Unfortunately, the time travel is mostly bookended to the opening and closing of the show, and everything in between was pretty lackluster unless you are a big fan of the movie.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 11:16am

Listening to some of the London cast album right now. This leans SO into the nostalgia of the movie, to the point where the "overture" is a suite from Alan Silvestri's film score.

The biggest problem is that Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard are not theatrical songwriters, and it shows.

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 11:35am

The fact that so much of the film score is used throughout the show is the precise reason the show works as well as it does. 

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 2:41pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Ted Arthur reposted the Broadway teaser for this show on his Insta story yesterday. Something tells me he's attached to the music team in some way."

His story said “#md,” so I assume he will be the music director.

[pmensky]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 6:59pm

Seems odd that Olly Dobson wouldn’t come over with this unless they have someone specific in mind.

[Jeffrey Karasarides]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 8:11pm

^While we're on the subject of casting, who can any of you see playing some of the other characters?

Updated On: 6/24/22 at 08:11 PM

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 9:10pm

pmensky said: "Seems odd that Olly Dobson wouldn’t come over with this unless they have someone specific in mind."

He didn't win any awards for it, correct? So there's nothing "special" about his performance that I'm sure they couldn't find over here without having to house him, etc. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 9:35pm

The problem with cast speculation is that you really can’t do it for this show. The production, wisely, has cast a team of actors who are pretty much fully capable of embodying their film counterparts and you’re going to need the exact same thing on Broadway. So unless you know for sure that a certain actor or actress can do a spot on impression of Michael J. Fox, Crispin Glover or Lea Thompson, then there’s really no point in even throwing their name out.

 

[pmensky]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 10:11pm

RippedMan said: "pmensky said: "Seems odd that Olly Dobson wouldn’t come over with this unless they have someone specific in mind."

He didn't win any awards for it, correct? So there's nothing "special" about his performance that I'm sure they couldn't find over here without having to house him, etc."

It was already discussed in another thread how numerous actors who didn’t win awards on the West End transferred to Broadway with their shows. 

[pmensky]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 10:14pm

Jordan Catalano said: "The problem with cast speculation is that you really can’t do it for this show. The production, wisely, has cast a team of actors who are pretty much fully capable of embodying their film counterparts and you’re going to need the exact same thing on Broadway. So unless you know for sure that a certain actor or actress can do a spot on impression of Michael J. Fox, Crispin Glover or Lea Thompson, then there’s really no point in even throwing their name out.

That’s why I find it odd that ally wouldn’t transfer. He does a spot on Michael J Fox imitation.

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 10:31pm

pmensky said: "That’s why I find it odd that ally wouldn’t transfer. He does a spot on Michael J Fox imitation."

When he shows up to work, yeah he does. Lol

 

[pmensky]

Posted: 6/24/22 at 11:19pm

Jordan Catalano said: "pmensky said: "That’s why I find it odd that ally wouldn’t transfer. He does a spot on Michael J Fox imitation."

When he shows up to work, yeah he does. Lol

Well, THAT could be a very good reason for him not to transfer.

 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 6/25/22 at 12:53am

pmensky said: "RippedMan said: "pmensky said: "Seems odd that Olly Dobson wouldn’t come over with this unless they have someone specific in mind."

He didn't win any awards for it, correct? So there's nothing "special" about his performance that I'm sure they couldn't find over here without having to house him, etc."

It was already discussed in another thread how numerous actors who didn’t win awards on the West End transferred to Broadway with their shows."

Just saying financially I get it for someone who isn’t vital to the production.