We had another epic road trip to London on Saturday, this time to see Back to the Future, the Musical. We also tied in some educational sightseeing for our primary school aged children to see some things they were learning about at school, but the main purpose of the trip was to go to the Adelphi Theater on the Strand to see Back to the Future. It's 2 hours 40 mins long including a 20 minute interval. We watched a 2:30pm matinee and it finished at around 5:10pm.
Will fans like Back to the Future the Musical?
Overall, it's a really entertaining show. We are really quite big Back to the Future fans - we'd rewatched it this week with the kids so that our youngest could remember the story - but as we expected when we rewatched it, we can pretty much quote it line for line. When we watched it there were certain bits that we commented on at the time like "oh, it will be interesting to see how they do that". The main thing we were curious to see was the transitions and how they would show a car getting to 88 MPH on the stage in order to go back in time. And they did not disappoint!
We had lunch across the road at Bella Italia beforehand, firstly because it was easy to book - it somewhere we all recognised and we could meet friends there easily, and it was super handy as it's literally just across the road.
Where to sit for Back to the Future the Musical
When you arrive in the theater, it struck me as quite small because I'm used to the Bristol Hippodrome and the Bristol Hippodrome is quite massive. Also last time we came into London to see a show it was Frozen, and that was at the very impressive Drury Lane theatre in the heart of Covent Garden, with sweeting staircases that made all the little Elsa's really feel like a Queen. But our seats were really good; we were on the upper circle, quite central and we had a good view down. We couldn't quite see the very front of the stage, but that didn't actually affect anything because obviously once the curtain's up, the action moves back quite a long way. I've read someone else mention that they had front row seats and they couldn't see everything that was happening as they were too close. There's a show stopper bit at the end where, being in the Stalls would be cool, but I think our view was better for being higher and further back. In the lobby and on the landings of the whole theatre it's all dressed to have a Back to the Future theme which is a nice touch, so it really gets you in the mood!
When you first get to your seats, it's very '80s futuristic' (in a good way!). Lines of light go all the way out from the stage and across the ceiling, as you'll see in the photos in the gallery. The curtain has projections on it, with messages asking you to turn off your phone because they weren't invented in 1985, but says you can take photos of that curtain. There was also a QR code on the projection at some points, which lead to a survey, which didn't explain that you should do the survey after the show, but it was a survey for questions for how you found it. All the questions came up on the screen as if they were in command prompt style - computer dialogue boxes with square brackets asking for a Y or N answer (as in yes or no). So it was something entertaining for the kids to look at whilst we were waiting for the show to start.
Opening and cast of Back to the Future the Musical.
When the musical first starts, it starts with Marty going into Doc's Workshop. The very first word of the show is Marty McFly's voice shouting "Doc", and the actor's voice was spot on, I felt. We saw Vasco Emauz as Marty, and II didn't realise at the time, but it was his last day of playing the role. So if you go to see it now, it's Caden Brauch, who has played him in the American version. In that first shout of "Doc", Emauz absolutely nailed the voice, and during the rest of the show, I found his voice really quite good. There were times understandably, where it wasn't as good as it's hard to do an impersonation for 2.5 hours, but on the whole, I thought he was very good. In that first scene, you hear a voice recording of Doc and my husband and I were both a bit disappointed at how Doc's voice didn't sound really much like Doc at all. But it ends up that doesn't matter as Cory English brings so much to the role. He was incredibly entertaining - he's the one who got the laughs, and he had my seven year old giggling her head off at times. He was a lot of fun, very charismatic, and did make a brilliant Doc Brown even if he didn't sound exactly like him as an impersonator. The issue is probably that we've very recently been to see Only Fools and Horses the Musical, and everyone in that is basically an impersonator (and very good ones) so I maybe expected the same here.
After the initial scene with Marty in the workshop, it then breaks into a musical number. And that musical number is based on the Back to the Future theme tune. However, I kind of felt, and my 10 year old son agreed, and I think a friend that we were watching it with agreed - it wasn't really the opening we were hoping for. We were hoping for loud, blaring, feel it in your chest music and Marty cruising around on a skateboard. We've seen an interview with Emauz since when he mentioned trying to learn to skateboard for the role, but there wasn't much skateboarding in it, maybe he didn't really master it. We felt the opening could have been more dynamic and full of life.
I've talked about the actor who played Marty for us and Doc, and they were both really good. We also really thought that Orlando Gibbs, who played George McFly was really brilliant. Again, his voice wasn't necessarily spot on, but his almost didn't need to be - he's not got such a distinctive tone as Marty. But his mannerisms on stage as a caricatured version of George were very good and very entertaining, and I felt a really good rapport between Marty and George. I also thought Sarah Goggin, who played Lorraine was really good in the 50s. Even though I found her portrayal of the older mum in the 80's kitchen scene a little bit different to the film (more on that below), her portrayal in the 50s was really, really good.
Is Back to the Future the Musical the same story as the film?
I read another review after we watched it, saying how fans will love how true it is to the story (of the first film). And I kind of disagree with that slightly, although I still think fans will really, really enjoy it. I wonder if the person who wrote that maybe isn't that big a fan and so felt it was true. But for me there are a few standout differences. I'll go into them in this blog post in case you're curious, but I don't want it to put anyone off going because the transitions of the time machine are outstanding. It is the first show we've seen - and I'm a fan of musicals - that really uses technology to really help with the story. There is so much more of a light show in this stage adaptation than I have ever seen in a musical before, and it worked so exceptionally well. In some ways it's not even that complicated, it's just so well executed. Although at the end, there's something that I think is quite complicated and it's an absolute showstopper spectacle, and I don't want to spoil it for anyone.
Ways in which the story were different were just little things:
- When Marty first goes to his house, his mum says all the same lines as in the film, but she isn't quite as full of sorrow; she's just doesn't seem quite as sad as she does in the film.
- In the film, Biff is there having a go at George after Biff has crashed George's car, with Biff managing the play for victim. Marty is therefore really sad because he wanted to borrow the car. But even if Marty wasn't gonna borrow the car in this version of the story, the idea of Biff crashing the car and having a go at George for it still could have stood as a little plot device to show how George McFly never stands up to Biff. But in this version Biff was just selling him some peanut brittle (I think), for his kid to raise money and was overcharging him for it. So that just felt like a needless change to the story that I don't know why they did it.
- There's no mention of uncle jailbird Joey, either in the 80's kitchen scene where Lorraine is sad he didn't make parole again, or when Marty goes to his grandparents' house in the 50s and says "you'd better get used to these bars, kid".
- There's a major storyline difference in as much as Doc doesn't get shot. And that's perhaps because for political reasons, they couldn't have the shooters that they have in the film.
- In the 50s, Marty's Grandad doesn't nearly hit George (or Marty) with the car (so this also makes the dialogue in the 80's kitchen scene when Marty's sister Linda first mentions it, different). They just fall out of a tree, and I'm not really sure why they didn't do that other than maybe it was too much to think about how to get a car on the stage, although they get the DeLorean on the stage. I feel like they were so clever with other things, they could have had some way of showing almost hitting him with the car, even if it was just headlights shining on the stage and a screech of brakes. Instead, they just had him falling out of the tree and the dad finding him. But then at the end of that scene, they still keep the line with Lorraine and her Mum agreeing that Marty should stay the night because he's their "responsibiliy". Well, I don't see why he is their responsibility if the dad hasn't just nearly hit him with the car?
- Another big difference is that Doc's car in the musical is voice activated. And can only be controlled by Doc, and this means that they didn't need to show us close ups of the screen setting the date and time because you do it by speaking to the car. So that was a good way around some of the close up scenes in the film where they're putting in different numbers on the display, because I had wondered how they would do that when we couldn't literally look over their shoulder in the car.
- There isn't the big skateboard scene with Marty borrowing a skateboard from a kid and returning it at the end and Biff crashing into a truck of manure. Instead, it's all a scene in the school, but it worked really well and it was really entertaining and it was probably the first song I really enjoyed of the musical. So that worked really well for me.
- There's no Einstein! Which I get - adding a dog into the mix of a live show would be a big deal. And probably raise welfare questions for the dog. But his absense made the first appearance of the DeLorean a little different because Marty doesn't have that panic about what's happened to Einy - there's not that same emotion about is the dog unscathed.
The ending is also very different, but by then you've kind of bought into the fact that there are changes and that's fine. And they still keep some of the classic lines. As you'll know, as soon as you walk in and you see all the merch saying "where we're going, we don't need... roads". When we re-watched it and Doc flicks his glasses down as he says that line, I said to my family, I bet they'll do that line really well in the musical, and they absolutely did.
If you've seen it and you're a fan, let me know if I'm being too harsh on all these tiny little spot the differences! I'll link to where I'll post about this on Instagram so you can leave any comments there. I want to stress though, whilst they are differences, it's still great.
Are the songs in Back to the Future the Musical good?
Overall, the songs throughout the show were varying levels of entertaining. There's this big scene with the school singing about how there's something about the kid. There's a big scene in the school when they're singing "Something about that boy", meaning Marty, and that is very good. But we didn't come away singing anything - like, I can go to some musicals that I've never seen before, like Hamilton, and come away humming the tunes. And I didn't find any of them catchy enough to do that this time. I also wasn't overwhelmed with a cacophony of voices singing in amazing harmonies like I love usually about musical theatre. I love going and feeling completely overwhelmed by the music surrounding you and blown away by the absolute mastery of all these singers, and the songs just didn't really call for that level of singing. So not saying that the people weren't very good singers and they did all the songs very well, but they just didn't have incredibly impressive notes or harmonies or mass choruses.
There was some good dancing - myy husband liked a lot of the dancing - and there's a scene in the Enchantment Under the Sea dance where there's some good 1950s lifts, so there's lots to watch. But it's not quite one of the grand masters of musical theater like Phantom or Wicked. But then my husband really doesn't like those musicals and he really liked this one. So maybe if musical theater isn't usually your thing, but you like film, then the slightly lower key songs, but the visual effects of this show will really suit you.
I was saying in the interval that I was disappointed about the lack of 'Power of love' and 'Back in time' being played. They just weren't featured, and in Only Fools and Horses the musical, they were playing their theme tune repeatedly referring back to it throughout the whole show (but it wasn't overdone). So I was feeling like they were missing a trick that they weren't including some more of the music from the film, especially as I always remember growing up listening to 'Mr. Sandman' playing in the 50s part of the film and I really liked that song (again, wonderful harmonies). But there wasn't any of that, and I was nervous that Earth Angel wouldn't play in the Enchantment Under the Sea dance, and I really wanted it to because I also loved that song from Superman.
But I needn't have worried, they were just saving the showstoppers for later in the second half and the finale, and they do play out the Enchantment Under the Sea dance as they should, and the main songs are done really well - just near the end.
What we loved - and didn't so much - about Back to the Future the Musical
The scene with Marty in the car with Lorriane, when Biff comes and kicks him out, and then George comes and finds Biff and ends up punching Biff, felt a little, little lacking: it's not quite as emotionally driven as in the film. But at the same time, when you watch the film now as an adult, you realise that is a horrific scene of serious sexual assault. So maybe they did decide to skip over it a little quickly just so as to make it too heavy for the audience (which can include kids), but that's not to say they don't do it line for line accurately.
The Enchantment under the Sea dance was really accurate with the timing, with the kiss happening and Marty springing back to life after nearly fading away at exactly the right strum of the guitar... but that is quite a busy scene with a lot to watch and I found it a little hard to see quite what was going on with Marty on the stage. They were so good with the projection of the photo all the way through the film, which could have been tricky, but they always found ways to project the fading photo of him and his brother and sister, that I felt like they could have used this here - to perhaps pause time to flick to it - but like I say, there was already a lot going on in that scene so maybe even more would have been too much.
Something we did all agree on though is that in the following number when Marty is playing, Johnny B. Goode and he gets rather carried away, and then he says, "I guess you guys aren't ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it"... we didn't feel it went quite as crazy as it should have done. It was still sounding quite melodic until the end, whereas in the film it just turns into a complete thrash of noise. Maybe being a musical, they couldn't quite bring themselves to play quite such a jarring bunch of notes?!
The whole premise though with Doc not being shot, and why Marty then jumps in the car to drive off, is a little odd because - I don't want to give too much away - but Marty has to drive to the hospital. But I don't know why you would really drive to a hospital? And leave the patient alone? Wouldn't you drive and get help? Or mention a Doctor friend by name and drive to get them? Instead of driving to the local hospital wouldn't you call an ambulance? Maybe it's different in America. But when we were talking about it afterwards, we found it a bit odd and felt that maybe they could have found a slightly different way of wording why Marty had to suddenly drive off.
I don't want to give away how the transitions are done with the DeLorean or how the clock tower scene is done (oh, but it was missing the zip line bit, which was a bit disappointing as I feel they could have got that in really. But there was a funny bit with some steps instead that was very effectively done and made everyone laugh), but it was all fantastic. The transistion scenes literally had me on the edge of my seat, not with anticipation, but just with really enjoying watching it unfold and how it was happening. They were really exceptional - probably the best thing I've ever seen on stage actually - and I'd really like to watch them again. We also want to watch it again because some of the scene changes were just so smooth, and my husband wants to know how Doc was at the back of the stage in his dream sequence, but then woke up at the front of the stage. Maybe there's some sleight of hand and some distraction that he wasn't at the back of the stage for as long as you thought he was, but there were tiny little things that made it all super slick that were really, really good.
I also usually mention in these musical reviews about the set changes and how much scenery there was, but I couldn't even start to in this one because there were just so many sets and scenes. There's parts in the diner, there's Marty's house, there's Lorraine's house, there's Doc's workshop, there's school... there are just loads of really intricate set designs that are constantly changing really, really smoothly.
Can kids watch Back to the Future the Musical?
We couldn't take our 3 year old with us because I think the minimum age was around 5 to be allowed into the theatre. I think it would have sat through it and enjoyed it - especially as it really is quite a spectacle at times - but I guess it's because the audience is generally adults they don't want grown ups bothered with noisy toddlers ruining it. But our 7 year old and 10 year old loved it, as did the 9 year old and 12 year old we went with. They all had booster cushions offered to them as we went in, along with an extra big inflatable one for my 7 year old daughter. They all knew the story, and they all loved the effects and laughed at the Doc.
Has Back to the Future the musical finished, and is it going on tour?
We went to see it because it was due to finish at the beginning of 2025 so we booked in quickly before the end, but then it got extended to March, and now we've heard it's been extended to 2026. So there is still time for you to go and see it. I looked a lot as to whether it was going to tour after it finished because we could have just waited for it to come to Bristol, but there wasn't anything online about that yet, as there often isn't before a tour is announced. I guess they want you to go to London and see it because they know they'll get local people when it moves to the smaller regional places anyway. But having seen it, I'm not sure if it will tour because there is just so much scenery. It would be such a massive task to move it from theater to theater, and some of the bits with the DeLorean, they might just not be able to physically do at some of the other theaters. So unless they could have really long runs at theaters and just go to a few it might not really be tangible to tour it very much. Hvaing said that, there was a North American tour, as that's what the new Marty (Brauch) stared in. Overall, to play it safe, if you are keen to see it, I would head over to the Adelphi Theater on the Strand in London before 2026, just in case it doesn't tour.
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