BACK TO THE FUTURE - The Musical

So, just posting that I saw the production of BACK TO THE FUTURE at the Adelphi in London about 2 weeks ago. My partner and I are huge fans of the movie, so we would be the ideal audience for it, I'm guessing. I knew going into it that there were some big plot changes, so I wasn't surprised by that. While it's a fairly slick production, I thought it was really bad. The songs are forgettable. Everything feels really rushed. The plot changes sort of make no sense, as if they are hoping you don't notice it. I did feel that Roger Bart as Doc Brown was the perfect choice. He has a lot of fun with it, and the show is far more about Doc Brown than Marty McFly. The other real standout was Jordan Benjamin as Goldie Wilson. Of course, most people will be left talking about the DeLorean and the special effects, which are fun, but it feels more like a theme park ride than real stagecraft. In my opinion, it's a bad show, but it's still easy to have fun at it. I'm sure it will do well on Broadway, especially with family and tourist audiences in NYC.

I've never seen the movie and thought it was just fine, entertaining enough for the running time with the effects to make it worth it, and maybe 2 catchy songs (though I could not recall the tunes of them now). It seems to me that the more that people know and love the movie, the less they like the show, which I guess makes sense if you know what's been changed whereas someone coming in fresh would just take everything at face value.

I'm curious to see how it's received in NYC, as there seems to be quite a bit of buzz around it. One of my friends enjoyed it quite a bit but was still shocked it won Best Musical at the Oliviers, though I think it's very possible it gets passed over in the Tony noms.

The Broadway Theater is just a huge space. I do not remember the last time a show there recouped. The Color Purple in 2005? I'm serious.

Updated On: 9/29/22 at 03:54 PM

I got an email today from the Broadway Student Summit with Back to the Future as the featured show for March 18-19 and April 15-16 so it will have to be open by then? But no official announcement has been made, right?

The Broadway Theater is just a huge space. I do not remember the last time a show there recouped. The Color Purple in 2005? I'm serious.



If it were legally possible, i feel like it would be in the Broadway Theatre’s best interest to permanently remove the back half of their Rear Mezzanine. Those seats are almost never fully occupied and when they are, they’re dirt cheap bc the theatre knows it’s impossible to see anything from back there, so you just end up with ticked off patrons who give bad word of mouth.

If nothing else, Phantom should’ve transferred there instead of closing. Or the LED-screen version should be placed there.

GoldenGiggery said: "The Broadway Theater is just a huge space. I do not remember the last time a show there recouped.The Color Purplein 2005? I'm serious.



If it were legally possible, i feel like it would be in the Broadway Theatre’s best interest to permanently remove the back half of their Rear Mezzanine. Those seats are almost never fully occupied and when they are, they’re dirt cheap bc the theatre knows it’s impossible to see anything from back there, so you just end up with ticked off patrons who give bad word of mouth.

Or, they can close the curtain that blocks the rear mezzanine from view and just not sell those seats.

If nothing else, Phantom should’ve transferred there instead of closing. Or the LED-screen version should be placed there. "

That would not have resolved the issue that it wasn't earning enough to meet its weekly costs. And add onto it tge cost of a transfer and the likely new set that would have been created for such a transfer.

Because they’ll likely create stadium seating and cover most of the orchestra.

Just got back from New York Comic Con and there were people outside handing out flyers and then the DeLorean setup inside. Pictures from Yesterday showed the DeLorean covered and it has been uncovered, but there was still no theatre or date listed anywhere.

Winter Garden is also what I've heard and March seems like a likely start.

I realize that there is a difference between good and wildly popular. But having seen Back To The Future in August, I believe it is both.

I am a big fan of the movie and I believe that the artistic team did a fabulous job making the transition from movie to musical while capturing the spirit of the story. I also felt that the performances were very good. I happened to think that Hugh Cotes as George McFly stole the show. And I had no problem at all with the music. To me it seemed to fit very well with the time period and I found it very clever.

The stagecraft, of course, was over the top and, I felt it was brilliant. It is easy to say and think that the stagecraft is the main thing that made the audience go wild at the end and maybe that is partially true in this case. But even before the mind blowing finale, I felt they nailed it.

I have no idea how long anything will last on Broadway these days. But I like the chances for this one regardless of where they put it.

It was clear from the audience re

Wonder why the June opening?

I've also seen the rumor about the Winter Garden. And I've heard other rumors (that to me seem credible) that the show won't open until late summer or early fall 2023. I think the reason given is the incredible amount of on-site construction they'll have to do re the technology of the show.