16
Credit: Universal StudiosThe early Back to the Future reviews are not looking good.
Back to the Future is a franchise that can do no wrong. The three films, Back to the Future (1985), Back to the Future Part II (1989), and Back to the Future Part III (1990), make up one of the greatest film trilogies ever, while the original is a beloved ’80s classic.
Talks of a Back to the Future reboot have done the rounds for decades, despite the films’ creators, Bob Gale (co-writer/producer) and Robert Zemeckis (co-writer/director), vehemently condemning the idea. And many Back to the Future fans are in agreement.
Related: ‘Back to the Future’ Reboot Gets the ‘No Way Home’ Treatment
However, that didn’t stop Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, who play Marty McFly and Doc Emmett Brown in the three films, from suggesting that a Back to the Future reboot or a sequel, particularly a female-led one, wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
With that all said, there’s already a Back to the Future reboot in existence — just not on the silver screen. Back to the Future: The Musical (2020) is, as you can probably tell by the name, a stage production, and it’s been taking audiences at the Adelphi Theater in London’s West End back in time since 2021.
Related: 5 Actresses Who Could Play Female Marty McFly In ‘Back to the Future’ Reboot
Written by Bob Gale, the writer and producer of the three Back to the Future films, with music and lyrics by composer Alan Silvestri (who also scored the films) and Glen Ballard, the multi-award-winning Back to the Future: The Musical is an excellent re-telling of the iconic 1985 film of the same name, with an all-new cast and some fun alterations.
Like the film, it has been a massive hit with audiences and critics, and won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical, the WhatsOnStage Awards, and the Broadway World Awards in 2022. It has been so popular and well-received that a North American tour has been set for 2024.
Related: Does ‘Back to the Future’ Exist Within the ‘Star Wars’ Universe?
While the show is continuing to play at the Adelphi Theater until October this year, it recently opened at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theater in New York, where it impressively took over $1 million during its first week of early previews.
However, since then, the musical hasn’t gone down well with critics, having opened to mixed reviews, which comes as a huge surprise when you consider its success on the other side of the Atlantic. But what are these Back to the Future reviews saying?
Variety describes the show as being more “fitting for a theme park than Broadway”, and says that the DeLorean is the real star of the show, before suggesting that it may be better suited to the North American tour, saying, “Touring venues, however, may be more welcoming, with less demanding audiences looking for the comfort of familiar titles and the promise of spectacle.”
Entertainment Weekly echoes similar criticisms regarding the DeLorean being the main attraction, stating, “Unfortunately, unlike the DeLorean, Back to the Future: The Musical itself never quite hits 88 miles an hour.”
Related: These 5 Major Franchises Could Follow HBO’s ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot
These are just two of numerous mixed Back to the Future reviews from widely read publications, such as Yahoo! Movies and The New York Post.
With the exception of its cast members (save for Roger Bart and Hugh Coles, who reprise their roles as Doc Brown and George McFly from the UK version, respectively), the Broadway version of Back to the Future: The Musical is essentially no different to its British counterpart. So it’s bizarre to think it hasn’t struck the same chord as it has in the West End.
With all that said, reviews aren’t entirely indicative of the audiences’ experience, so here’s to hoping fans of the 1985 film are getting some enjoyment out of it. If not, then their kids are probably going to love it.
Check out the trailer for Back to the Future: The Musical below, in which Christopher Lloyd passes the torch (or the flux capacitor) to the new Doc Brown, Roger Bart:
Related: ‘Back to the Future’ Characters Join ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ Sequel
As per the official website, here’s the synopsis for the show:
Great Scott! The multi-award-winning Back to the Future: The Musical is changing Broadway musical theatre history.
When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself… back to the future.
Experience this high-voltage comedy as the iconic story is adapted for the stage by the movie’s creators Bob Gale (Back to the Future trilogy) and Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and is directed by the Tony Award-winning John Rando.
Back to the Future the Musical features original music by multi-Grammy winners Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror), alongside hit songs from the movie including The Power of Love, Johnny B. Goode, Earth Angel and Back in Time.
When BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL hits 88mph, you’re gonna see some serious… entertainment.
The cast for the Broadway show includes The Devil Wears Prada‘s Liana Hunt as Lorraine Baines, Les Miserables’ Nathaniel Hackmann as Biff Tannen, Ain’t Too Proud‘s Jelani Remy in the dual roles of Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry, and Almost Famous’ Casey Likes as Marty McFly. Hugh Coles and Roger Bart reprise their roles from the West End version of the show as George McFly and Doc Brown, respectively, both of whom have now been replaced by Oliver Nicholas and Cory English in the UK.
Back to the Future: The Musical is now on Broadway. A North American tour has been set for 2024.
Have you seen Back to the Future: The Musical on Broadway? Do you agree with these Back to the Future reviews? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!