Back To The Future Australia Flops

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 6:22pm

The production will close in early January with a loss of its entire investment. Opened in September and has been playing some nights to less than 400 hundred people in a theatre that seats 2000. Even a sale of all seats at 49 ( might have been 89 ) still couldn’t fill the theatre. 
 

Of course personally I think it’s one of the worst musicals I’ve ever seen, devoid of any joy until you get to the final 10 minutes, up to that point your better off counting the threads in the carpet under your feet! 

[Timon3]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 6:47pm

Didn’t Harry Potter flop as well?

Did Back to the future play both Sydney and Melbourne?

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 7:01pm

Harry Potter was not a flop, it didn’t operate like your typical Australian production that tend to do 3-6 months in each city; instead it did a sit down in a single city, Melbourne. It ran for 4 years, minus 1 for the pandemic.

Updated On: 11/14/25 at 07:01 PM

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 7:14pm

The season of Back opened in Sydney in September and was than due to tour Melbourne Brisbane lasting till 2027. Harry Potter was a monster hit in Melbourne. Up till Covid you couldn’t get a seat for love or money 

Updated On: 11/14/25 at 07:14 PM

[suzycat]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 7:35pm

Rosscoe, I will be in Sydney & Melbourne in Feb, is there anything I should see? 

[merle57]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 7:47pm

Back to the Future is not a very good show - it was a fun movie, but not a good source for a Broadway musical. The story does not sing. It is essentially a satirical comedy gently mocking the 1950s of his parents' youth. Since neither of his parents were vanilla middle class, any pastiche music would have to satirize that genre, but the score tried to play it sincere. Further the whole attraction of youthful teenage mom could not be musicalized, can't add emotion to that tastefully. His dad's nerdiness was maybe good for one song, but the focus would be on the son, again a strange role reversal generationally. the musical BIG ran into the same problem -- essentially a satirical look at adults from a teen's perspective, but also a satire of youth wanting to grow up too soon, the score had moments, but an incoherent style because each scene and moment demanded a different musical voice. So the show never had a musical score arc to match the characters, even though Mltby and Shire wrote some wonderful songs (Stop Time, I Want to Know, Dancing All The Time).   Mrs. Doubtfire, a comic guy in drag comedy, missed the key element of the story in its musicalization - a tragic subtext of a man who loves his children but cannot mature enough to love his wife, so he cannot form family.  That is actually a pretty tragic idea.  Robin Williams was gifted enough to sidestep that aspect with a sentimental nod at the end.  the show had a mediocre generic score that  lacked style or substance. Not all movies should be musicalized - in fact, most shouldn't. 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 10:06pm

suzycat said: "Rosscoe, I will be in Sydney & Melbourne in Feb, is there anything I should see?"

Anastasia is playing Melbourne ( Regent Theatre) Cats ( 40th Anniversary production Arts Centre ) My Brilliant Career ( I think Arts Centre as well, this was a massive hit last year, brand new Australian musical based on the novel of the same name. That would be my choice ) 

Book Of Mormon in Sydney. Pretty Woman Sydney. The lyric is dark due to Back closing. 
Check out Sydney Theatre Company the front end of this season is stacked, from me must see shows. 
Hayes theatre is doing a show called Barbra, about you know who. 

 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 10:36pm

merle57 said: "Back to the Future is not a very good show - it was a fun movie, but not a good source for a Broadway musical. The story does not sing. It is essentially a satirical comedy gently mocking the 1950s of his parents' youth. Since neither of his parents were vanilla middle class, any pastiche music would have to satirize that genre, but the score tried to play it sincere. Further the whole attraction of youthful teenage mom could not be musicalized, can'tadd emotion to that tastefully. His dad's nerdiness was maybe good for one song, but the focus would be on the son, again a strange role reversal generationally. the musical BIG ran into the same problem -- essentially a satirical look at adults from a teen's perspective, but also a satire of youth wanting to grow up too soon, the score had moments, but an incoherent style because each scene and moment demanded a different musical voice. So the show never had a musical score arc to match the characters, even though Mltby and Shire wrote some wonderful songs (Stop Time, I Want to Know, Dancing All The Time). Mrs. Doubtfire, a comic guy in drag comedy, missed the key element of the story in its musicalization - a tragic subtext of a man who loves his children but cannot mature enough to love his wife, so he cannot form family.That is actually a pretty tragic idea.Robin Williams was gifted enough tosidestep that aspect with a sentimental nod at the end. the show had a mediocre generic score that lacked style or substance. Not all movies should be musicalized - in fact, most shouldn't."

Are you high??

Also, a few paragraph breaks would be helpful in trying to read your word salad.

 

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 11/14/25 at 10:56pm

☝️☝️☝️☝️

This. I gave up after twenty words. 

[binau]

Posted: 11/15/25 at 4:01am

A few words from the delusional producer lol. I genuinely wonder if one of the biggest issues with theatre production is an inability for people to see the flaws of shows. It's the only thing in my mind that can explain how shows such as Queen of V, Tammy Faye, Back to the Future etc.. get as far as they do.

"I would understand it if the show was terrible and the production wasn't good, but it's a great production of that show"

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 11/15/25 at 5:54am

I will give the producer John Frost and Crossroads some props, if they picked this up before the New York production opened after seeing the reception in London this had hit written all over it. I am at a loss that this is a hit in London.