Review: BACK TO THE FUTURE IN CONCERT, Royal Albert Hall

Just missing "Back to the Future Day" on 21 October (the date Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to in the sequel), the iconic film Back to the Future film is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. A re-release is coming to cinemas at the end of this month and the stage version keeps on growing, showing the public appetite for this beloved film shows no signs of slowing down.

The Royal Albert Hall’s wonderful Films in Concert series has done its bit to support the anniversary, with a double-bill of the film shown with the support of the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, conducted by Stefan Geiger. There was even a brief appearance from composer Alan Silvestri himself.

A surprise smash-hit back in 1985, Bob Gale, co-producer and co-writer of the screenplay, and director Robert Zemeckis pitched the script more than 40 times over four years, but studios found it too risky. It was Steven Spielberg who saw its potential and came in as executive producer.

The story is a time-travelling comedy adventure where Marty McFly (Michael J Fox), a typical 80s kid from suburban California, is accidentally sent back to the year 1955 by his friend, scientist and inventor Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd), in a DeLorean that is also a time machine. Unable to return home, Marty must seek help from a much younger Doc, while also dealing with his teenage mother falling in love with him, putting his own future existence at risk.

Interestingly, it took until 2009 before the film’s score would get its own comprehensive album release, but these concerts meant the music became centre-stage. The Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra was on top form, showing off the slapstick of the musical identity for Doc Brown, “Einstein Disintegrated”, a mass of hooting woodwinds and jumpy rhythms. Silvestri’s musical score contains a main theme that is one of the most recognisable pieces of 1980’s film music; those nine notes are a heroic fanfare to protagonist Marty and are a true earworm.

“It’s Been Educational/Clocktower” is the fast-paced and intense climax to the film which shows off Silvestri’s talents to build tension and atmosphere; gentle strings move to punchy brass and an edgy rendition of “Doc’s Theme”. Then tense drums and stabbing brass builds until the main theme explodes in towards the end as Marty manages to reconnect the rigging to harness the lightening, so he can return to the future. It remains the musical highlight of the whole film, conducted with huge energy and precision by Geiger.

Silvestri gives the two eras in the film distinct identities. Once the action shifts to 1955, Silvestri leans into nostalgia and a more innocent feel. “Earth Angel”, originally by the doo-wop group The Penguins, was performed beautifully by the orchestra with soaring strings. This clashed masterfully with the rock ‘n roll showpiece of “Johnny B. Goode” by Chuck Berry.

Huey Lewis and the News gained their first No. 1 on the Billboard Top 100 with the theme song of "The Power of Love". It gained an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe in 1986 and gives huge energy to the film’s opening scene, as Marty glides around on his skateboard, waving to an aerobics class and hitching a ride holding onto the back of a pick-up truck. It just makes you smile.

Apparently, Zemeckis liked "The Power of Love" so much, he asked Lewis for another song for the film’s end credits, and Lewis delivered “Back in Time”.

The film is of its time; Libyan terrorists from the era of Gaddafi who don’t speak in Arabic, Marty complementing his mother on how thin she is and uncomfortable references to the Black band members at the dance fail to land well today. However, it remains timeless in its ingeniously subversive comedy, clever plotting and characters that fit so well into categories of villains and heroes.  A brilliant pick for this splendid series.