The ambitious adaptation of the beloved film saga, “Back to the Future: The Musical,” began with unexpected challenges as its creators sought out potential producers.
Screenwriter Bob Gale recalls the initial naivety of the team, thinking that producers would eagerly line up to support the project. “We thought, ‘This is going to be easy! Everybody and their uncle ought to be lining up to do this,'” Gale notes.
However, they encountered skepticism, often hearing, “Well, you guys have never done musical theater before. What makes you think you can do it?” Gale replied confidently, stating, “Well, we invented the franchise! We know a whole lot about these characters and the story.”
After navigating a long and winding development path, the musical premiered in Manchester, England, in 2020, followed by a London debut in 2021 that ultimately won the Olivier Award for Best Musical.
This achievement propelled the musical towards Broadway in 2023, and soon it embarks on a national tour, making a stop at the Citizens Opera House from July 8-20, coinciding with the film’s 40th anniversary on July 3.
The journey to this moment was not without obstacles, resembling the paradox that unfolds when Marty McFly travels back to 1955, threatening his very existence.
The inspiration behind the project began one day when a storm flooded Gale’s childhood home in St. Louis. While assisting his parents in cleaning the basement, he stumbled upon his father’s high school yearbook, where he saw a photo of his father as the senior class president.
This moment sparked Gale’s curiosity: “I thought about the president of my class, who was one of these rah-rah school spirit guys who I would’ve had nothing to do with. And I wondered, ‘Was my dad that kind of guy? Would I have been friends with my dad if I’d gone to high school with him?'”
This reflection led to a lightning-bolt idea for a movie centered around a teenager who accidentally travels back in time, encounters his parents in high school, and tries to ensure they fall in love, thus preserving his own existence.
As Gale and director Robert Zemeckis began the process of transforming this idea into a musical, they were joined by the original film’s composer Alan Silvestri and Grammy-winning songwriter Glen Ballard to craft the score, blending influences from both 1980s rock and classic 1950s tunes.
However, their journey was filled with ups and downs. By 2014, they had separated from innovative theatre director Jamie Lloyd, whose unique vision didn’t align with their creative direction, and brought in Tony Award-winning director John Rando.
The core ambition for the production was to honor the original film while simultaneously creating a fresh experience for theatergoers. “One of the things that we were very resolute about was that we did not want this stage production to be a carbon copy of the movie,” Gale emphasizes.
While many iconic lines and moments from the film remained intact, certain elements were either altered or removed entirely. The DeLorean is preserved as a spectacle, and iconic statements like, “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads,” are still present.
Some aspects familiar to fans, such as Marty’s comical incident when Lorraine calls him “Calvin Klein,” have been reimagined, while scenes involving the dog Einstein and a skateboarding chase with bully Biff have been omitted.
What a musical allows, however, is a deeper exploration of characters’ internal lives through song.
Ballard and Silvestri created a poignant second act number for Doc Brown that lets audiences peer into his aspirations and his belief in visionaries, encapsulated in the song “For the Dreamers.”
This addition, Gale notes, enhances Doc Brown’s character, making him more relatable: “Musical theater gave us a way to really go deep into Doc Brown’s head. And because Doc Brown sings, he automatically becomes a warmer character.”
Furthermore, a lively doo-wop number, titled “Pretty Baby,” showcases Lorraine’s adventurous spirit in the 1955 timeline. Meanwhile, there’s a progressive moment in “Put Your Mind to It” where Marty helps his father George conquer timidity, aiming to help him win Lorraine’s heart by teaching him to dance.
Both the father-son dynamic and the exploration of their past connections form the narrative’s backbone.
As director John Rando points out, “The boy learns about his parents in a way that he had never dreamed of and finds himself closer to his family at the end.”
The DeLorean remains a centerpiece of the production, captivating audiences as it simulates time travel and flight, thanks to Tim Hatley’s innovative scenic design, Finn Ross’s video design, and Chris Fisher’s theatrical illusions. Gale expressed his excitement, saying, “It’s really spectacular. I think we raised the bar on what you could do on stage.”
With such a legacy to uphold, the team initially harbored concerns about meeting fans’ expectations. Nevertheless, Gale found that most audience members have embraced the show.
During the London run, he shared a memorable encounter with a fan who found such joy in attending the show weekly that she redirected her therapy funds toward tickets, declaring herself happier for it.
As we reach the 40th anniversary of the film’s debut, Gale speculates that its enduring relevance lies in its exploration of a universal truth: the realization that parents were once young and faced their own challenges.
The musical poignantly illustrates how singular choices can have significant ramifications, suggesting that one’s decisions are crucial, as demonstrated by the alternate paths of the McFly family, based on George’s ability to stand up for himself.
In the end, it serves as a beautifully crafted reminder of the impact our decisions can have on the course of our lives.
image source from：bostonglobe
