Musical goes from OK to great when the DeLorean reaches 88

Marty (Lucas Hallauer) realizes his inventor friend’s DeLorean really is a time machine. (photo by McLeod9 Creative)

By Richard Ades

One thing you can say about Back to the Future: The Musical: It sure knows how to stick the landing.

Thanks to stagecraft wizardry—including a time-traveling DeLorean that may be the most impressive prop since Miss Saigon’s helicopter—the show recreates the finale of its cinematic forebear with breathtaking results.

How it gets to that finale is not always as impressive, however. When the show stays faithful to the plot and spirit of Robert Zemeckis’s 1985 classic, it’s on solid ground. When it adds superfluous production numbers with dancers who seem to appear out of nowhere, it’s just wasting everyone’s time.

For those who haven’t seen the original film, Back to the Future was a sci-fi tale with both humor and heart. Set in 1985, it was about a teenager named Marty who travels 30 years into the past and accidentally prevents his future parents from hooking up, thus creating a reality in which he was never born.

Brilliantly filmed and perfectly cast, the flick starred Michael J. Fox as Marty and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown, eccentric inventor of the teen’s four-wheeled time portal. It also starred Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover as Marty’s future parents, Lorraine and George, whose high school romance is thwarted when Lorraine inconveniently falls in love with the stranger who just happens to be her future son.

Goldie (Cartreze Tucker) and the company perform “Gotta Start Somewhere.” (photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman)

Directed by John Rando, the touring version of Back to the Future also benefits from a well-chosen cast. The first clue is that Marty is played by Lucas Hallauer, who sings and bounds around the stage with Michael Fox-like skill and energy. As Doc Brown, David Josefsberg is suitably quirky even though he doesn’t quite attain Lloyd’s level of hilarious eccentricity.

Speaking of eccentric, no one can match Glover’s odd take on the self-doubting George, but Anthony J. Gasbarre III (filling in for Mike Bindeman) did an admirable job on opening night. As smitten teenager Lorraine, Zan Berube is lovable and displays a strong singing voice.

Other top cast members include Sophia Yacap as Marty’s girlfriend, Jennifer; and Nathaniel Hackmann as Biff, the town bully who makes George’s life miserable in both 1955 and 1985. Almost stealing the show, Cartreze Tucker gives a powerhouse performance as Goldie Wilson, a restaurant worker who dreams of going into politics.

In fact, Tucker’s exuberance made “Gotta Start Somewhere” one of the few production numbers that got an enthusiastic reaction from the opening night audience. At the other end of the appreciation scale was the Act II opener, “21^st Century,” which went all out on futuristic costumes and dance steps but earned only polite applause.  

Biff (Nathaniel Hackmann, center) and friends (Zachery Bigelow, left, and Fisher Lane Stewart) perform “Teach Him a Lesson.” (photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade)

Truthfully, the original songs by Alan Silverstri and Glen Ballard are often tuneful, and Chris Bailey’s choreography is full of high-kicking, acrobatic energy. When they serve the plot or help to define the atmosphere in which the story unfolds, they’re not bad. Maybe the problem is that they too often seem like unnecessary distractions.

On the other hand, the story is perfectly served by Tim Hatley’s gorgeous scenic design and by all the lighting, video, sound and “illusion” designers who helped to create the explosive scene in which Marty attempts to return to his own reality with the help of a speeding DeLorean and a well-timed bolt of lightning.

It was exciting enough when it took place on the silver screen. Seeing it recreated on the Ohio Theatre stage just takes that excitement to a whole new level.

Broadway in Columbus will present Back to the Future: The Musical through Jan. 11 at the Ohio Theatre, 39 E. State St., Columbus. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. through Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes (including intermission). For more information, visit columbus.broadway.com. For information about upcoming tour stops, visit backtothefuturemusical.com/northamerica/.