Interview: Cartreze Tucker of BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL at The Fox Theatre

Georgia native Cartreze Tucker returns home as Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry in the national tour of BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL, which is opening production of the 2025 – 2026 Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta season and plays at The Fox Theatre September 23 - 27. I caught up with Cartreze to talk about his journey from Atlanta to Broadway and back, the magic of the show, how it feels to go “Back to the Future” and what it means to perform for his hometown crowd.

BWW: Cartreze, thanks so much for taking time to speak with me. I’m really excited to hear more about you, BACK TO THE FUTURE, and its Atlanta run at The Fox!

Cartreze Tucker: Oh my gosh, I’m so excited. I’m sure my mom’s very excited too!

To start, tell me about your Atlanta connections.

Well, I’m from Georgia, born and raised. My entire life was spent there. I grew up in Fulton County, in the East Point area, went to Mount Olive Elementary School, went to Paul D. West Middle School, and then I transferred to South Paulding Middle School. And then I went to South Paulding High School, where I graduated.

So, you’re coming home on this tour?

Yes, like I said, I’m sure my mother is thrilled. I’m sure she’s bringing a bus load of people every night.

Let’s talk about your journey into theatre. How did you get started in the business?

I think I was a late bloomer. I didn’t start singing until my junior year of high school. A friend at the time, we were hanging out and I was singing in the car and she said, “Do you know you can sing?” And I said, “Can’t everybody sing?” She coaxed me into joining drama at school. Then I had a fantastic theatre teacher at South Paulding High School—may he rest in peace—Eddie McPherson. And a fantastic chorus teacher named Donna Weaver who really believed in me and poured into me. She said, “No, you are good. You are good enough.” If it wasn’t for my friend Raquella George (she’s now a rapper - Rocky Snyda), Eddie McPherson, and Donna Weaver, I wouldn’t have pursued the things I’m pursuing right now.

Did you go on to study theatre after high school?

Yeah, and it wasn’t even in my realm of reality that you could make a living as a theatre artist. I went to theatre school in New York City—the American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Four months after graduating, I booked my first professional job: the National Tour of HAIR.

Let’s talk about BACK TO THE FUTURE. Were you familiar with the musical before you got involved?

I knew the movie. I watched it a lot as a child. I went to Universal Studios as a kid, rode the “Back to the Future” ride. So, I was very familiar with the movie, but I had no idea it had become a musical. My survival job as an actor is singing—I do tours of a show called “50 Years of Rock’n’Roll”, which is a rock’n’roll revue. One of my friends on the gig, Jacob Herron, had just gone to London and saw BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL. He loved it and he said, “Cartreze, there’s a part for you—the mayor. He sings just like you.” If it wasn’t for Jacob Herron, I wouldn’t have known about the show or insisted to my agents that I be seen for the tour.

How long have you been on tour with BACK TO THE FUTURE?

June 1st was a year, so a year and a little bit. I’ve been doing this role for over a year now, touring the country and North America—we just left Toronto.

What can audiences expect when they come to see the show?

It’s honestly the movie that everyone knows and loves—the first “Back to the Future” — just translated to the stage. And obviously it’s a musical, so there’s, I think, 19 songs. A couple that people know already, like “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” “Power of Love,” “Back in Time.” If you’re a giant fan of the movie, we’ve taken very good care of your cinematic baby. We’ve changed some things—some things you just can’t do on stage, like a giant terrorist car chase. But it’s everything people know and love, with singing, dancing, crazy special effects, and magic.

Tell me more about the “crazy special effects” and “magic”.

Yeah, the special effects are… I like to say the show is a theatrical spectacle. My mother saw the show in Las Vegas—she’s not a theater-literate person, but she said, “Wow, this show is expensive.” It’s a big, big blockbuster spectacle. I think it’s worth the ticket price—you see your money on stage.

I’d like to hear more about the roles you play in this production —Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry. Tell us about those characters and what inspires your portrayals.

They’re both drastically different. Goldie is more steeped in realism—an overwhelmingly positive individual, good friends with George, tries to pour into him. No matter where you start, the end can be somewhere you never imagined. He gets the idea to run for mayor from Marty, who came from the future. Goldie is overwhelmingly positive, which I love. With Marvin Berry the director gave me liberty to make him as grandiose as I wanted. The only grandiose band leader rock star with a pompadour I could think of was Little Richard. So that’s my inspiration for Marvin Berry—he’s flamboyant, peacocky, over the top, grandiose, and sassy.

Have you performed at the Fox Theatre before?

No, this is the first time I’ve been to the Fox. My other tours have gone everywhere in Georgia but Atlanta proper—Athens, Augusta, Columbus. But this is the first time I’ve been at The Fox and I’m very excited. I used to come to The Fox as a kid—my school took us to see the ballet, The Nutcracker, and I saw ALADDIN. Seeing the carpet under the Arabian stars is embedded in my memory. So, this is a full circle moment for me.

What’s the best and worst part of being on tour?

They’re twofold—the best part is the travel, and the worst part is also the travel. If you’re only in a city for a week, you don’t have a day off. You travel on Monday, which is a day off, but traveling is not restful. The best part is also the travel—seeing the different characteristics of each city is interesting. Every city has a different vibe, different air, different energy. I love to eat, so all the different restaurants are great.

Speaking of food, is there something you’re looking forward to eating again in Atlanta?

Oh my gosh, yes. In high school, we used to hang out in Little Five Points all the time—our haunt was The Vortex. I’m really excited to go back and have my favorite burger, the Elvis burger. I’m nostalgic for that. My friend took me to the Beltline when I was visiting a few years ago so I’m also excited to experience the restaurants on the Beltline.

Is there a moment in the show you look forward to most each night?

Honestly, it’s the audience. The show hinges so much on the audience being invested in what we’re doing—it’s very funny and deeply unserious. Once you get an audience that’s on the ride with you, you’re going. At the top of the show, the curtain comes up, Marty opens the door and goes, “Doc?!,” and people applaud thunderously—that’s how I know it’s going to be a good time. I look for that moment every night to see what the energy is going to be.

What advice do you have for young performers looking to get into theatre?

Be passionate not only about performing, but about the art form itself. Lots of young people get into the arts for validation or stardom, but nine times out of ten, you’re not going to become a star. You have to be passionate about performing, the craft, the work that came before you—nothing exists in a vacuum. You should want to consume as much theatrical information and context as you can find. I love theater, I love musical theater. When I was in school, once I realized there were musicals that existed before I was born, it was a wrap—I had to consume them all. The more obscure, the better. There are so many fantastic artists who came before us—Eartha Kitt, Carol Channing, John Raitt—titans of their time who laid the foundation for us.

So, on that note, what’s your favorite discovery from your deep dive into musical theater history?

There’s a show called KISMET from the 60s, that was revived in the 70s with an all-black production and called TIMBUKTU, set in Africa, directed by Geoffrey Holder. It had Melba Moore, Gregory Price, Eartha Kitt—amazing, gorgeous music, deeply theatrical and camp. I also love campy movie musicals—one of my favorites is Phantom of the Paradise, a rock musical from the 1970s directed by Brian De Palma.

Is there a dream role you’d like to play one day?

Dream role? Something that’s written for me. I’ve been in New York City a long time, I have friends who are musical theater writers. I’ve been begging them forever—“Please, write me something!” I just want something where I can be funny, sing pretty, and cry. That’s it. That’s all I want to do.

BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL runs at the Fox Theatre Tuesday, September 23rd through Sunday, September 28th as part of the 2025/2026 Regions Bank Broadway in Atlanta season. Tickets are available at the Fox Theatre box office at 660 Peachtree Street NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30308 and by visiting https://foxtheatre.org/backtothefuture or by calling (855)-285-8499. Group orders of 10 or more may be placed by calling the Fox Theatre at (855)-285-8499. Performances are Tuesday, September 23rd – Thursday, September 25th at 7:30PM, Friday, September 26th at 8PM, Saturday, September 27th at 2PM and 8PM, and Sunday, September 28th at 1:00PM and 6:30PM.

Lead Photo: Cartreze Tucker

Top Photo: Cartreze Tucker and Company - Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Mid Photo 1: Don Stephenson - Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

Mid Photo 2: Cartreze Tucker and Company - Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman