10 Moments We Hope to See in BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical!
By: Abigail Charpentier Feb. 07, 2020
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Great Scott! BACK TO THE FUTURE The Musical premieres this month!
The stage adaption of the 1985 film of the same name opens at the Manchester Opera House for a strictly limited 12-week season 20 February before transferring to the West End.
Like the film starring Michael J. Fox, it follows Marty McFly, a teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett "Doc" 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.
As previously announced, Olly Dobson will star as Marty McFly alongside Roger Bart as Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown, Hugh Coles as George McFly and Rosanna Hyland as Lorraine Baines. Additional casting can be found here.
Knowing not all film-to-musical adaptions stay exactly true to the original material, here are some moments from the film we hope transfer to the stage.
"Rock 'N Roll"
This opening shot sets the tone for the rest of the film: captivating, albeit a little crazy. It gives us our first taste of Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown's character and very clearly shows his innovation and interest with time. We also see Marty McFly for the first time and learn about his love of music, which will come into play later. It also doesn't hurt, for the viewer at least, to see the visual gag of the guitar amplifier blowing Marty away.
"Grandpa Hit Him with a Car"
The scene of the McFly family dinner does a lot for the story early on. It introduces Marty's parents, George and Lorraine, and his older siblings, Dave and Linda. It also gives a brief history of George and Lorraine's love story, with Lorraine's father accidentally hitting George with his car and her nursing him back to health before falling in love at the 'Enchantment Under the Sea' school dance.
"88 Miles Per Hour"
Marty meets Doc at the Twin Pines Mall and Doc reveals his newest invention: a time machine built out of a DeLorean. He goes on to explain the logic behind the machine, how it operates by its flux capacitor and even shows it in action. Also in this scene, the date Nov. 5, 1955, is brought up for the first time, a date that is very important to the rest of the story. Although creative liberty will most likely be taken in some capacity in the stage musical, this scene is essential to the story and is one of the key pieces that make "Back to the Future" work.
"This Has Got to Be a Dream"
As Cher would say, Marty turned back time! He successfully escapes the Libyan terrorist attack in the mall parking lot in Doc's machine and goes back to his hometown 30 years earlier (Nov. 5, 1955). The cars, fashion, music and overall culture are different, but he finds one similarity to 1985 - his father George and bully Biff in a situation that parallels one earlier in the film, down to the same "your shoes untied" bit.
"I've Never Seen Purple Underwear Before, Calvin"
The scene described by Lorraine at THE FAMILY dinner plays out: George falls out of a tree in front of Lorraine's house, but before her father hits him in his car, Marty pushes George out of the way and injures himself. George runs away while Lorraine nurses Marty and it becomes clear she is attracted to him. Not only does tension rise because she is his mother after all, but Marty greatly altered the past.
"A Bolt of Lightning"
Doc is found by Marty in 1955 and after some convincing, he believes that Marty is from the future. When trying to figure out how to get him back to 1985, he realizes instead of using Plutonium to fuel the flux capacitor, he can use a bolt of lightning for the power, specifically the bolt from the large upcoming storm that historically broke the town's clock tower.
Also in this scene, Doc explains to Marty that his actions will have serious repercussions on future events and that he needs to make sure his parents end up together at the 'Enchantment Under the Sea' dance. The concept of people erasing from existence is then introduced and is visualized by a piece of his older brother erasing from a photograph of the three McFly children.
"I'm Your Density, I Mean...Your Destiny"
Marty befriends George and has tricked into asking Lorraine to the dance. When he finally gets the nerve to talk to her at the diner, he tries to read the tips he wrote down from Marty before fumbling and misspeaking. Despite not working and Lorraine asking Marty to the dance, this awkward moment makes their coming together in the end even more heartwarming.
"Earth Angel"
George and Lorraine finally end up inside the dance together after he rescues her from the car with Biff, but shortly after, another guy cuts in to dance with Lorraine. Meanwhile, while filling in for a band member on stage, Marty begins losing the ability to play the guitar and sees his hand starting to disappear from existence, like in the photo. George stands up for himself and goes back to Lorraine and the two share a kiss, which causes all three kids to come back into the picture (literally).
"I Guess You Guys Aren't Ready for That Yet"
Everything is starting to look up and Marty has time before he needs to meet Doc at the clock tower. He decides to play "an oldie, but uh... well, it's an oldie where [he] comes from" - "Johnny B. Goode." His solo doesn't quite resonate well with the audience, but it's fun to watch and would be a great musical moment on stage.
"Roads? Where We're Going We Don't Need Roads"
This ending line wraps up the first film of the trilogy. Marty makes it back to 1985, finds Doc alive after the Libyan terrorist attack from before his journey and even finds everyone in his family in a better position. Although the creative team of the stage adaption may round out the story and leave out this plot point that sets up "Back to the Future Part II," this iconic line is an essential part of the franchise.
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