BACK TO THE FUTURE - West End

Based on the clips I have seen, and your description of the show, it sounds absolutely PERFECT!! This is one of my favorite movies, and I so wish I could get to London to see it!

The cast recording is out, and it’s a lot of fun. Not perfect, but a lot of fun. Really hoping we hear something about a transfer soon!

Fun is a good word to describe the album. I haven’t seen the show yet so it’s difficult to really judge the production itself but the songs are indeed fun.

It sounds like they dropped the Libyan terrorist plot but I’m surprised George is still a peeping tom.

Jordan Catalano said: "And here’s the thing. Another of my favorite films is “Pretty Woman” and using the film script so closely there just didn’t work for me and I believe I even said something to the effect of “You could just watch the movie at home and save $100”. So on the ride back to my hotel I was thinking about why I was so ok with that tonight and not with the other. And… I don’t know. I’m gonna really have to sleep on that because I want to understand it."

Maybe because Pretty Woman barely has a set?

windowwaving said: "Jordan Catalano said: "And here’s the thing. Another of my favorite films is “Pretty Woman” and using the film script so closely there just didn’t work for me and I believe I even said something to the effect of “You could just watch the movie at home and save $100”. So on the ride back to my hotel I was thinking about why I was so ok with that tonight and not with the other. And… I don’t know. I’m gonna really have to sleep on that because I want to understand it."

Maybe because Pretty Woman barely has a set?"

They are two different beasts. One is clearly going for spectacle. Pretty Woman might be the worst musical I've seen in 10+ years. Not one good song. Terrible design and direction. Clunky cheesy book. Awful.

After having seen the show, I actually think the long acre would be a great fit for BTTF. Or…reopen the palace…?? 👀

First off, let me say that Back to the Future is my favorite movie of all time and I can't wait to eventually see this musical. That being said, I listened to the cast recording Friday and MY GOD those lyrics are horrendous. I don't understand why it's so hard to find a good lyricist nowadays. Also, and this is a big pet peeve of mine with movies being made into musicals - they take whatever camp factor there is in the original movie and amp it to 11 and I have no clue why. Even though the events in the movie are fantastical, the characters themselves are fairly grounded into reality. I know I shouldn't judge a show based off it's cast recording, but I don't know what Roger Bart is doing with him being SO over the top in his line deliveries.

Like I said, I can't wait to see the musical live and will be first in line. But, that cast recording really didn't do much for me (except for a couple of songs and the inclusion of bits of the score).

I think it’s a given that Roger Bart would do it on Broadway, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Norbert Leo Butz take it on.

Listened to the album- I thought it was forgettable trash that all sounded like riffing on Silvestri’s soundtrack and Power of Love.

I’m sure seeing it is fun, but super bland middling musical theatre music.

Yes, it seems like producers assumed that RB would be the perfect American Doc Brown to bring the musical over, but he’s too much for me. Now that he didn’t get an Olivier nom, I’d like to see someone else in the role, but I bet they’ll keep him. We’ll see!

Just returned home to the US after a week of theatre in London. BACK TO THE FUTURE was one of the first shows I saw during the week and thought it was great fun and had amazing effects. Olly Dobson, who stars as Marty Mcfly, was out that evening and we had one of the understudies in the role, I believe it was Ryan Heenan who was excellent. Roger Bart was definitely channeling Christopher Lloyd in his portrayal of Doc Brown. The entire cast was fantastic. Since I had enjoyed the show so much and wasn't sure when I'd have a chance to see it again, short of another trip back to London, I decided to book tickets to see it again on Saturday night the last night I was in town. Shortly after the start of the 2nd Act the show was stopped and an announcement was made apologizing for the delay and asking the audience to please remain in their seats and the show would resume shortly. Several other announcements apologizing for the delay were made and the audience was told they could leave their seats if they desired, that the bars were re-opened. Another announcement was made that the delay was "Due to a medical issue and that the show would resume shortly". Finally after over half an hour they made the announcement apologizing that the show would not be able to continue and was over for the evening. As we were leaving the theatre we were given a letter from the management of the theatre instructing us to contact our original point of purchase for the tickets in regards to re-booking, requesting a credit voucher or a refund. All of Sunday was spent in transit back home to the US. I had purchased the tickets thru TKTS so this morning I sent off an email explaining what had happened along with a copy of the letter the theatre had given us as we left and copies of my actual ticket and receipt. In less than a half hour I had a reply back from them telling me they had looked up my booking and had cancelled my order and issued a refund back to my credit card. I cannot say enough good things about the staff at the TKTS booth in Leicester Square. They are very friendly and knowledgable when it comes to pointing you in the right direction for what you are looking for. As the week progressed we would often times get the same person that had helped previously and they would always ask how we enjoyed the shows. Anyway, I'm just curious if anybody has heard what actually happened last Saturday night to end up cancelling the show? I've tried to find any posts on Facebook or Twitter to see if any mention has been made but so far have not found anything. One of their announcements indicated that it was a "medical issue" but not sure what that would mean. Since Act Two had already started was it too late to put in an understudy to finish out the performance? Please share if you've heard anything.

P.S. The rest of the week was filled with other great shows that I would recommend as well worth seeing if you have the chance ... DEATHDROP, ALW'S CINDERELLA, LIFE OF PI, MOULIN ROUGE!, THE DRIFTERS GIRL and TO KILL A MOCKING BIRD

Updated On: 3/21/22 at 05:04 PM

I have been putting off seeing this for so long but managed to get an extremely cheap ticket and I think I overall enjoyed it much more than I was expecting. They really have tried to make a full-flown, big budget musical with very impressive staging, genuine characters, a (somewhat mostly) original score and an interesting story. It really did feel that Delorean was actually moving (at least from so far away). The whole thing to me oozes like a 21st century British mega-musical but more in the tradition of an American Broadway musical. Going back in time to the 50s and suddenly being able to change the tone/style of the songs and writing did give me a glimpse of 'why' this should be a musical. It's not a cheap money grab to cash in on the title - there is a lot of heart to it.

I really think this show has potential but I think what it really needs before a New York run is a very heavy handed show doctor to come in and cut and/or rewrite songs, cut lines, rewrite lyrics and think about if the structure can be improved. It could maybe elevate the material from mediocre/average to decent and coupled with the often amazing staging make it more of a sure bet. Right now it just feels like a bloated draft to me. The tone is also edging a little towards too cheesy and has Be More Chill vibes at times. I think it can be fixed it just feels a little sloppy for me.

Updated On: 4/3/22 at 04:31 AM