Back to the Future - The Musical

 Visited- Wednesday 9th February 2022 (Mattinee show)

Venue - Adelphi Theatre, London

Similar to Prince of Egypt, Back to the Future The musical premiered in February 2020 in Manchester, just before the pandemic. Moving to the Adelphi Theatre in 2021 as its new home, this brand new musical had so much hype from lovers of theatre, and back to the future fans. Before seeing this, I stayed clear of spoilers, visiting the venue back in 2021 to discuss sound design made me want to see this, just based on the sheer scale of the production.

 

Foyer

As you head upstairs to the Dress Circle, there is a huge clock tower in front of the window. I feel like this is a hidden gem for those sat upstairs. The upstairs bar and merchandise stand is all themed, with 80s music being played. For me, this made the musical more like an immersive experience.

I’d definitely recommend those in the stalls to have a look upstairs before the show starts.

Story

The story follows the much beloved film from the 80s, as Marty McFly is sent back in time to 1955 in a DeLorean. He meets his future family and accidently attracts his mother. He must repair the relationship between his parents, and get back to the present.

Cast

Firstly, the whole cast in this production was on point to the original characters. Olly Dobson as Marty McFly showed loads of enthusiasm. Hugh Coles as George McFly was the most loved character from audiences. Roger Bart also stood out as Doc Brown. There were elements throughout the show which broke the fourth wall with the dances. Even though Doc had the least amount of screen time, I still enjoyed every second with him. Rosanna Hyland as Lorraine really played the character as well, and I loved the chemistry between her, Marty and George.

Technology

The front of the auditorium is surrounded by LED strips, similar to the inside of a computer which is used throughout the show.

Front projection is also used during the pre-show, and to visualise the DeLorean moving, along with a rotating stage. Although projection is very popular in musicals nowadays, it was definitely a cool feature, and really added to the experience. An LED backdrop is also used effectively (similar to Prince of Egypt the musical).

I was surprised how colourful each and every scene was. From the McFly’s house, to the school ball, each set was unique in their own way, and portrayed the location brilliantly.

The sound design was also great, with clear audio from start to finish, some great sound effects and bass that had both floors shaking. I also met with the sound mixer on the day for an overview on the console, and to discuss how essential sound mixing is for all theatre shows big & small. This inslpired me for my future career in theatre.

Songs

For me, some of the musical numbers were all over the place. I did find the opening songs didn’t grip me as much and felt like they were dragging the show on, but this picked up as the show went on. The final 30 minutes of the second act really grips you and transports you to another dimension. The character Biff had a couple of numbers in the show which portrayed his bully-like character.

Some of my favourite songs included ‘Put Your Mind to it’, growing George’s confidence to ask Lorraine to the ball. ‘21^st Century’ to open Act 2 was a great opener. And ‘Gotta Start Somewhere’ by Goldie Wilson really sparked the audience.

 

Although the show started off quite slow, I still had a good time nevertheless. It was clear the musical was made with Fans of the franchise will be satisfied to revisit the McFly’s in a new way. And normal theatre goers will be amazed by the scale of the production on this musical.