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24th March 2020

Will fans of Back to the Future enjoy the musical adaptation?

Tara Bharadia explains why fans of the original film will love the musical adaptation of Back to the Future
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Will fans of Back to the Future enjoy the musical adaptation?
Photo: Sean Ebsworth Barnes.

Great Scott! Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale have brought the 1985 cult classic, Back to the Future, to the stage. The idea has been in the works for over a decade, the crew have been rehearsing since 2018, and you will see that all their hard work has paid off. Back to the Future is filled with loud laughs, great music and is bound to make you tear up just down to the nostalgia of the whole thing.

Olly Dobson (Marty McFly) and Hugh Coles (George McFly) give stellar performances. The likeness of their characters is so uncanny, you will swear that you are listening along to the film. While Dobson aced the floppy-haired charm of Marty, Coles’ performance as George is as nervous and nerdy as Crispin Glover’s original portrayal –  you can tell both actors have been big fans of the franchise for years.

Now, Tony winner Roger Bart is a face you will recognise, and he graces the stage as the creator of the time machine with style, Doctor Emmett Brown. Filling the shoes of Christopher Lloyd is no small feat, and Bart is easily able to make the role his own. His take on the crazy scientist is somewhat calmer and more controlled, but he’s still our confused, big dreamer Doc – with a great singing voice to match.

Courtney-Mae Briggs brings some real substance to Jennifer Parker, making her the perfect counterpart to Marty and the person who makes him believe in himself. Aiden Cutler’s Biff Tanen is not only hilarious and bumbling but does the original school bully character justice. And Cedric Neal (Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry) has an amazing voice and is able to steal some outstanding moments with his key lines and belief that he will one day make it to mayor. He likes the sounds of that!

One of the standouts of the original film is the soundtrack and the band and original songs do not disappoint. All of your favourite songs are performed perfectly on stage, and the original songs add a whole new level to the story. The opening score is played at some pivotal moments and submerges the audience back in time to the first time they would’ve seen the film. The musical, set and cast have come together to let us relive our childhoods again.

So head on down to Hill Valley. It’s only here for 12 weeks so only, so make a like a tree and get your tickets ASAP!

Back to the Future was supposed to run at the Opera House in Manchester until 17th May, but it seems unlikely that this crisis will have ended by then. SeatPlan have wisely created a page about the anticipated West End transfer.

Tara Bharadia

Tara Bharadia

Section Editor for Puzzles and Horoscopes

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