Back to the Future the Musical: Detailed, Nostalgic, and Ultimately, Fun by Anna Schenk

With the resurgence of 80s fashion, trends, and music in the past few years, it’s no surprise that a Broadway remake of the era’s classic Back to the Future was first in the 2024-25 Broadway on Hennepin season. 

Back to the Future is the epitome of a prime 80s movie. Released in 1985, it follows teenager Marty Mcfly as he gets thrown back into the 1950s as a result of his old mad scientist friend’s (Uncle? Grandfather? Relation unknown.) time traveling car, the DeLorean. At first glance, it’s an unexpected choice for a musical adaptation. Time travel is a difficult thing to depict on the stage, and with a movie like Back to the Future, its eighties era practical effects and visuals are essential to its charm. That being said, there is no force big enough to limit the effects of nostalgia-fueled remakes. And Back to the Future the Musical definitely is a nostalgia-fueled remake. 

The show’s 26 song tracklist composed by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard packs fun, likable music into a mostly enjoyable two and a half hour musical. Pacing-wise, the show struggles with fitting every single song into the minimally complicated plot. Some moments, like “For the Dreamers” (performed poignantly by Cartreze Tucker) and “21st century” (performed by Don Stephenson as Doc Brown) dragged the second act on and didn’t benefit the plot in really any ways. At some points in the show, though Chris Bailey's choreography was entertaining and upbeat, it felt like singing and dancing just to sing and dance, instead of making strides on the plot. In the end, Back to the Future the Musical made up for its flaws in pacing with its incredible, earnest fun. It was truly a show where the energy from both the performers and the audience felt dynamic and high. Much of this energy resulted from the high quality acting of principal characters.   Caden Brauch as Marty McFly portrayed his character with a perfect balance of humor and heart. Burke Swanson as George Mcfly had strong comedic timing, and his growth with Marty felt authentic and heartfelt.

In addition to the effective performances, the set design was incredibly deliberate and spared no details. Chris Fisher, the illusion designer, did an incredible job of creating unique interesting visual effects. Making the DeLorean seem as if it was jumping through the space time continuum in person on stage is no small feat, and the illusions and design of the car were so impressive. The production design of Tim Hatley also featured many eighties-aesthetic tech motifs, with literal screens playing a large role in the set design. During the iconic scene where Marty McFly finally travels “back to the future” in the signature DeLorean, 2 simple sheer screens created a vivid illusion of time travel. Flying lights and stars lit up the stage, and it dazzlingly captured the charming essence of the 1985 movie’s practical effects. Even down to the smallest decorations and props, every detail was thought of and the sheer amount of work on the set and feel of the show paid off in an insurmountable capacity. 

Back to the Future the Musical balanced nostalgia, humor, and heartfelt relationships into a crowd-pleaser, family-friendly show. Detailed sets and visual effects created an impressive experience, and though the music ran on the long side, it ultimately was enjoyable.