BACK TO THE FUTURE will close January 5, 2025- Page 2

[Patti LuPone FANatic]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 8:50pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "With its current grosses, it was only a matter of time (ha).

Solid run though."   Ha? You must have ice in your veins to mock a show that is ending.  Rude.

 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 10/25/24 at 9:02pm

Patti LuPone FANatic said: "EDSOSLO858 said: "With its current grosses, it was only a matter of time (ha).

Solid run though." Ha? You must have ice in your veins to mock a show that is ending. Rude."

Certainly not mocking the closing notice — just coupling an observation with a reference (even if it may not seem like the best time for one). 

Sounds like they clearly built a safe and enjoyable work environment and everyone involved had themselves a blast. 

[FLarnhill]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 1:11am

It's so surreal. I've been waiting for this musical for 12 years, wondering whether it'd even happen. And now it's a flop that's gonna close pretty soon. I quite liked it. Could have been better? Sure. Could it have been worse? Absolutely. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 8:24am

FLarnhill said: "It's so surreal. I've been waiting for this musical for 12 years, wondering whether it'd even happen. And now it's a flop that's gonna close pretty soon. I quite liked it. Could have been better? Sure. Could it have been worse? Absolutely."

“Flop” is really just a financial term relative to its budget. It will have played more than 500 performances in a 1500 seat house. which is better than some Best Musical winners & very prestigious shows! A lot more people will have seen this than the Broadway productions of The Prom, A Strange Loop, Merrily, Some Like It Hot, Kimberly Akimbo, etc.

[darquegk]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 10:31am

I feel like in the post-licensing, post-internet age, there are degrees of flops. All the great writing on Broadway economics and the business side of musicals came from a time when licensing houses were less accessible, before the rise of the Big Three. It's probably safe to assume most producer and investor contracts today are drawn up with clauses for tours and licensing as an avenue to recoup over time.

The BIG FLOPS are the ones that close at a loss and just... disappear. No afterlife except sometimes a cast recording, but often not. Think Lestat or Dance of the Vampires, or Spider-Man TOTD for an example that got a recording but still disappeared. There's no world in which these shows ever recoup. A loss is a loss.

The smaller flops are the ones that close at a loss, but have enough of an afterlife in regionals and licensing that little by little, money is coming in. This is MOST closed shows today; it's a relative rarity to see a show genuinely get shelved anymore without a licensing deal.

The "redeemed flops" are the ones that do so well in their afterlife that they wind up being more profitable as post-Broadway shows than they ever did as a sitdown in NYC. Legally Blonde and Seussical are the most famous redeemed flops.

[Timon3]

Posted: 10/26/24 at 8:55pm

I am very surprised that this show came in at $23m which is about right for a Broadway show. However the heavy lift for a show is development and this came to Broadway as a developed show. So surprised at the price tag for a show ready to go.

[KevinKlawitter]

Posted: 11/3/24 at 11:33am

Robert Zemeckis "floated the idea" of adapting the musical to the screen "Just like [Mel] Brooks did The Producers", but says Universal isn't yet on board

Given his track record as of late, this might actually be a safer bet for him, even with the show's mixed-negative reviews.

[Dolly80]

Posted: 11/3/24 at 11:49am

Why would they do this? The only reason would be that the music was so good that it added another layer to the story. That ain’t what’s happened here- the music is the weakest part of this show.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 11/3/24 at 12:16pm

$$$

[Mr. Wormwood]

Posted: 11/3/24 at 12:47pm

Yikes. The BTTF was a mediocre copy of an iconic movie. But a copy of a copy sounds even worse.

[willep]

Posted: 11/3/24 at 1:01pm

It’s hilarious that the headline is the the director is “teasing” a movie adaptation, when the quote is quite literally him saying the studio has zero interest.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/3/24 at 1:28pm

While Robert Zemeckis is on board and hopeful, there is currently no official green light from the studios. "I floated that out to the folks at Universal. They don’t get it. So, nothing I can do."

How is this teasing?! As mentioned above, he clearly just stated the studio doesn’t get it and that there’s nothing he can do about any potential film adaptation of the musical. Who wrote that BWW headline?!  

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 11/3/24 at 1:39pm

I am begging Robert Zemeckis to make another good movie.

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 12:23pm

Closes today… anyone here going?

[devonian.t]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 12:29pm

How much will this have lost?

[scripps]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 1:53pm

Dare I ask, but is anyone attending the final performance this afternoon? 

I was planning on attending because I liked this silly show, but arrived a little too late at TKTS yesterday. I considered this a sign and made peace with my final viewing of this production being Hugh Coles' last in June. 

Updated On: 1/5/25 at 01:53 PM

[CJRochester]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 3:13pm

Here's a nice interview with Casey in Playbill. Congrats to him for leading the show for its entire run. I'm excited to hear what comes next for this talented young actor. 

'We're Kind of Ending on a High': Casey Likes Says Goodbye to Back to the Future

https://playbill.com/article/were-kind-of-ending-on-a-high-casey-likes-says-goodbye-to-back-to-the-future

Updated On: 1/5/25 at 03:13 PM

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 7:29pm

Speeches today from lead producer Colin Ingram and co-creator / librettist Bob Gale:

Apparently, there was also a replica DeLorean outside the theatre. (Was it fan-made?)

 

Updated On: 1/5/25 at 07:29 PM

[Jonathan Cohen]

Posted: 1/5/25 at 8:36pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "Apparently, there was also a replica DeLorean outside the theatre. (Was it fan-made?)"

There's been a DeLorean across the street from the theater for like the entire run of the show. 

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 1/6/25 at 1:35am

I was there for closing today and it was a very lively and excited audience who gave the show a really well loved send off. Just before the show started, one of the ushers came up to the front of the orchestra and had us chant “Happy Trails; Back to the Future” which was super sweet. It’s clear the front of house was incredibly fond of the cast and the show as they were chatting with patrons about how sad they were. Huge applause for Casey, Roger, and the Deloreon’s entrances, a standing ovation after Jelani smashed “You Gotta Start Somewhere”. 

Tons of ad libbing from Casey and Roger including a hilarious moment where they were going back and forth about whether Flux Capacitor ended in an “or” or “er” and who came up with that and the answer being Bob Gale. 

There were some really sweet moments as well including a moment between Casey and Evan Alexander Smith just before Marty leaves to go back to 1985. They stood there for a moment almost like they were going to hug but then Marty fixed George’s tie and returned him to Lorranie’s side. 

Speeches (as mentioned above) from lead producer Colin Ingram and book writer Bob Gale. Colin acknowledged how expensive the show was to run and yet how proud he was of the run of the show. Bob talked about the upcoming international productions including Japan and Australia with Australia intending to become an international tour. Bob also acknowledged Roger and how long he’s been with the show amongst other things. Several alumnus were in the audience including Daryl Tofa, Emma Pittman, Amber Ardolino, and Merritt David Janes. 

Stage door was a zoo and there were people outside before the speeches ended. Most of the ensemble and swings came out along with all the principals excluding Roger. Casey and Evan were the last two to come out and everything broke up around 7:30.  

The movie Back to the Future is one of my favorites and this silly flying car musical will always hold a special place in my heart. Today was my 8th overall time, 7th on Broadway having seen the tour in DC as well. The tour cast is really fantastic and I look forward to seeing them again in the future. 
 
Farewell, Back to the Future. 🫶🏻

Updated On: 1/6/25 at 01:35 AM

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 1/6/25 at 2:44am

Roger Bart not signing the last day, what a bummer

[ClumsyDude15]

Posted: 1/6/25 at 10:11am

BoringBoredBoard40 said: "Roger Bart not signing the last day, what a bummer"

I was definitely surprised he didn't since it was closing, but it was really cold last night so I can't blame him. He did make a rare appearance at stage door back in November when I went shortly before closing. There was a crowd of kids chanting Doc! Doc! Doc and I guess he got word of this and came out to sign. He was lovely and signed and took photos with everyone there. 

Updated On: 1/6/25 at 10:11 AM