Name: Back to the Future on Broadway
Start: 2023-06-30
Location: Winter Garden Theatre

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6+. Children under the age of 4 will not be admitted into the theatre.

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Back to the Future on Broadway - NYC

Genre: Musical (US and AUS)

2 - BTTF - Roger Bart & Casey Likes - Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman

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4 - BTTF - Jelani Remy and the Cast of BTTF - Photo by Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman

Back to the Future on Broadway

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If IMAX had taken off by 1985, [*Back to the Future*](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26018-back-to-the-future-tickets) would have been its year's *Oppenheimer*: the kind of epic film you *must* see in IMAX, or at least on the biggest screen you can find. The iconic flying DeLorean, piloted across space-time by teenager Marty McFly and scientist Doc Brown, deserves nothing less. Ditto for the stakes of the plot. Unwittingly becoming one of humanity’s first time travelers and nearly wiping out your own existence by meddling in your parents’ meet-cute is, to quote Doc, “some serious shit.”

That's a lot for one teenager like Marty to handle — not to mention the ultimate terror of capturing his unknowing high-school-aged mother’s affections. And yet, *Back to the Future* emerges, and continues to be regarded, as a funny, cult-classic romp. The musical adaptation, now on Broadway with 1.21 gigawatts of spectacle, honors all these views at once and gives *Back to the Future* the larger-than-life presentation it deserves.

The design, naturally, does a lot of the heavy lifting. Walking into the [Winter Garden Theatre](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/theatres/winter-garden-theatre) feels like walking into a *Back to the Future* augmented-reality theme park attraction: A network of LEDs outfits the proscenium, the railings of the box seats, and even the ceiling. The design feels immersive, aided by Finn Ross's videos that, at one point, even put audiences into Marty's point of view as he rockets from 1985 to 1955.

That's not to mention the rest of Hatley's meticulously detailed sets and vibrant period costumes, Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone's hyperactive lighting (which, along with smoke effects, aid Chris Fisher's sci-fi illusions), and Gareth Owen's heart-thumping sound. Together with director John Rando's staging and Chris Bailey's athletic choreography that works the large ensemble for all it's got, the whole production is clearly eager, desperate even, to thrill you at every second. But to again quote Doc (and the title of his triumphant entrance song), it works.

On the topic of the songs, those mostly work, including timeless film favorites like "The Power of Love" and "Johnny B. Goode." A third of the score could have otherwise been cut. Some are repetitive — not every song needs a reprise, and not every character needs a full-length "I want" number (or multiple) where a line or two of dialogue would suffice. It feels like a retroactive attempt to invest audiences in the characters, who get rather abruptly introduced at the start.

It's an odd paradox, that *Back to the Future* assumes prior familiarity with the film such that the players need little introduction, while positing nearly every character as worthy of substantial exploration. Chalk it up, perhaps, to the fact that two of the movie's creators are involved: Bob Gale adapted the musical's book from his and Robert Zemeckis's screenplay, and Alan Silvestri, who composed the film score, co-wrote the musical's rollicking score with Glen Ballard. They clearly know and adore all their characters, but not all audiences have the same depth of understanding, especially 38 years on from the film's premiere.

But like the DeLorean climbing to the crucial 88 miles per hour, the writers ultimately succeed in building the show's momentum and narrative heft. Once Marty meets his teenaged parents, Lorraine and George, in 1955 and catches Lorraine's eye before George can, he has to course-correct — and gets to know his parents better in the process. *Back to the Future* is really a story about how the young can shape older generations' futures, after all, not just the other way around.

"My Myopia," a song sung by the hapless George McFly as he secretly watches his future wife from a tree, which shows Marty his dad's spinelessness began in adolescence. Later, they share a duet, "Put Your Mind to It," in which Marty teaches George how to be a more confident man. The energetic Casey Likes as Marty and Hugh Coles, a rubber-limbed physical comedy master reprising his role from London, as George bring these scenes close to perfect. As Lorraine, Liana Hunt channels a *Grease*-era Olivia Newtown John in dulcet (if incestuous) songs like "Pretty Baby."

It could be easy, amid everything else going on, to minimize Doc, even though he invents time travel in the first place and makes the rest of *Back to the Future* possible. But Christopher Lloyd made the character so indelible on screen that to forget Doc would be a crime. And from his first entrance in a cloud of smoke, Roger Bart, also reprising his role from London, makes the character iconic anew.

Bart milks Doc's triumphant early songs for all they're worth, complete with a leggy ensemble as backup — which only make his poignant Act 2 ballad, "For the Dreamers," strike the heartstrings even more. It's then we learn that, before Marty proved otherwise, Doc spent 30 years worrying he'd fail — and be forgotten in time.

"This one's for the dreamers who were close, but no cigar," Doc laments, Bart utterly sincere. "We don't know who they are."

*Back to the Future* is many in-your-face things — larger-than-life, time-bending, hair-raising — but this small moment reveals the heart amid the spectacle.

[*Back to the Future* is at the Winter Garden Theatre. Get *Back to the Future* tickets on New York Theatre Guide.](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/show/26018-back-to-the-future-tickets)

*Photo credit: Casey Likes and the cast of Back to the Future. (Photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)*

*Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the number of years since the Back to the Future film's premiere. The article has been updated to reflect the correct information.*

'Back to the Future' review — 1.21 gigawatts of fun, heart, and spectacle

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Read our four-star review of *Back to the Future* on Broadway, the award-winning musical adaptation of the classic film playing at the Winter Garden Theatre.

William Kissam Vanderbilt originally built the Winter Garden Theatre in 1896 as the American Horse Exchange. However, William Albert Swasey redesigned it for the Shuberts as a theatre, which officially opened on March 10, 1911.

The inaugural production was the Jerome Kern musical *La Belle Paree*. Architect Herbert J. Krapp remodeled the building in 1922. Over its lifespan, the venue has also served as a cinema for Warner Bros. and United Artists and has hosted the famous Ziegfeld Follies vaudeville show.

From 2002 to 2007, the venue was called the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre due to a sponsorship agreement between the Shubert Organization and General Motors.

The Winter Garden Theatre is one of only a couple Broadway houses actually located on the street called Broadway. The venue's interior is a designated New York City landmark.

## How to get to the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway

The Winter Garden Theatre is nearest to the 50th Street subway stop on the 1 line. The nearest bus stop is 7th Ave/W 50th St. on the M7, M20, M104, or M50 lines.

## Restaurants near the Winter Garden Theatre

The Winter Garden Theatre is adjacent to Ellen's Stardust Diner, a famed New York City tourist spot known for its singing waitstaff. Other popular restaurants nearby include Junior's (American), Haswell Green's (American), Saar (Indian), Natsumi (Japanese), Lillie's Victorian Establishment (British/pub fare), and Gallagher's Steakhouse.

Winter Garden Theatre - NY

Winter Garden Theatre

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Fire up your DeLorean and travel Back to the Future. The musical adaptation of the cult classic 1985 movie transfers to Broadway in 2023 following a hit London run. Get Back to the Future tickets on New York Theatre Guide.

Like the film, the Back to the Future musical follows teenager Marty McFly and his friend Doc, a scientist who makes a time machine from a DeLorean. The pair end up accidentally using it to travel back to 1955. Besides being the year Doc came up with time travel, that's also when Marty's parents were in high school. When Marty accidentally disrupts their first meeting, he has to figure out how to get them back together again so he doesn't mess up the future — and his life.

Bob Gale, who co-wrote the film with Robert Zemeckis, adapts his screenplay for the stage. With the help of special effects, lots of fan-favorite movie moments, like the flying DeLorean and Marty's gradual disappearance during the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, are recreated for the stage, too.

The film starred Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, both of whom have since seen the *Back to the Future* musical in London's West End (Fox virtually). That production opened in 2021 and later won the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, along with two additional Oliviers out of seven nominations. Prior, the musical made its world premiere in 2020 in Manchester, England.

The original *Back to the Future* Broadway cast features Roger Bart and Hugh Coles reprising their West End roles as Doc Brown and George McFly, respectively.

## Who wrote the *Back to the Future* music?

The *Back to the Future* musical features an original score by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, but there are a few hits from the movie featured as well, including "The Power of Love" and "Johnny B. Goode." 

## How long is the *Back to the Future* musical?

*Back to the Future* runs 2 hours and 40 minutes, including an intermission.

Get tickets to *Back to the Future* in New York now.

Back to the Future - NYC - New York Theatre Guide

Get tickets to Back to the Future on Broadway from the official New York Theatre Guide. Time-travel to 1985 at this musical adaptation of the cult classic film.

Back to the Future Broadway Tickets | Official NY Theatre Guide

Great Scott, the classic time-traveling movie is now a Broadway musical. Join Marty McFly's plutonium-powered adventure from 1985 to 1955, where he almost prevents his parents from meeting and has to make things right. The stage version features new songs alongside the film's hits, like "The Power of Love." Find out more about tickets.

The *Back to the Future* movie was an instant hit when it premiered in 1985, winning an Oscar, a Hugo Award, and three Saturn Awards. The film spawned two other movies and plenty of companion media, but the original film is a cult classic. *Back to the Future* was inducted into the National Film Registry and remains one of the best-known projects of Michael J. Fox (who played Marty) and Christopher Lloyd (who played scientist Doc Brown).

The show's creators initially planned to premiere the *Back to the Future* musical in 2015, the year Marty and Doc travel to in *Back to the Future: Part II*. Ultimately, it premiered in Manchester, England, in 2020 and transferred to London's West End in 2021. It was worth the wait, because there was success in the musical’s future. *Back to the Future* won three Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical. The show also won the WhatsOnStage and BroadwayWorld Awards for Best New Musical.

## What to Watch For

- Bob Gale, who co-wrote the *Back to the Future* screenplay with Robert Zemeckis, also wrote the musical's book.
- *Back to the Future* has an illusion designer, Chris Fisher, to recreate all its science fiction-inspired special effects, like the flying DeLorean and Marty's near-disappearance from time during the school dance.
- Two cast members from the *Back to the Future* London production, Roger Bart and Hugh Coles, reprise their roles in the *Back to the Future* Broadway cast. They play Doc Brown and George McFly, respectively.
- True to the time periods it bounces between, *Back to the Future* includes various music styles, from '80s rock to '50s doo-wop. Hits from the film like "The Power of Love," "Earth Angel," and "Johnny B. Goode" also pop up amid the musical’s original songs.
- Great Scott! Lots of the movie’s stars have attended the Back to the Future musical, including Christopher Lloyd, Claudia Wells, Frances Lee McCain and Donald Fullilove. And Michael J. Fox said, after watching the musical virtually, “I’m buzzing from what is a truly great show.”

Back to the Future - NYC - TodayTix

Set your watches and experience the power of love at this plutonium-powered musical adaptation of the hit sci-fi film. Join Marty McFly as he travels from 1985 to 1955 — and almost wipes out his existence as he accidentally meddles in his parents' love story.

Back to the Future - NYC - GS

The cult classic sci-fi film zoomed onto Broadway as a plutonium-powered musical adventure. Follow Marty McFly on his time-hopping journey from 1985 to 1995, featuring both new songs and classic hits like "The Power of Love."

Back to the Future on Broadway Tickets

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