Marty McFly is a rock 'n' roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown. But before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.
Hard-core BACK TO THE FUTURE fans will definitely enjoy the visuals — Marty and his scientist friend Doc Brown have their quintessential adventures in a souped-up DeLorean from set designer Tim Hatley; Finn Ross’s video designs help give the illusion of Marty time traveling at the iconic 88 miles per hour. Marty travels back from 1985 to 1955; when he accidentally interferes with his parents’ meeting, he must find a way to bring them together — or erase himself and his siblings Dan and Linda from existence. Likewise, Marty knows he must return back to 1985 so he can save Doc from plutonium poisoning. While Marty calls his situation “heavy,” it’s all in good fun.
The uneasy musical blend is characteristic of the show itself, which, like the town of Hill Valley’s clock tower, finds itself weirdly stuck in time, trying to please generations of fans while simultaneously making something “new.” You can see it in how the writers try to hit the funny bone. Jokes that landed in the ’80s—when 1950s Doc learns that the future president is “Ronald Reagan, the actor,” for example—are still there, but are now especially dated considering that future came and went some 40 years ago. (It also seems quaint considering the caliber of celebrity we’ve had in the White House since.) On the other end of the spectrum efforts are strained to make the piece ironically contemporary, as when Doc Brown returns from the year 2020 heralding a world with no war, no hunger, and (wait for it) no disease. Cue groans from last Thursday night’s crowd.
| 2021 | West End |
West End Premiere West End |
| 2021 | West End |
West End |
| 2023 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
| 2024 | US Tour |
North American Tour US Tour |
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