Tag: Robert Zemeckis

Female frenemies clash in flashy stage spectacle

Nasia Thomas (center) as Viola Van Horn in a typically high-energy scene from the American touring production of Death Becomes Her (Photos by Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade)

By Richard Ades

After seeing Death Becomes Her Tuesday night at the Ohio Theatre, I can understand why the musical won a 2025 Tony Award for its costumes. Designed by Paul Tazewell, they’re simply fabulous in a slinky, sparkly kind of way.

That’s fortunate, because otherwise they’d be overshadowed by the equally gorgeous scenery and lighting, designed by Derek McLane and Justin Townsend, respectively.

Musically, the show also soars, with the cast and orchestra making the most of the strong tunes and lyrics composed by Julia Mattison and Noel Carey.

All that sounds like the makings of a great night at the theater, and it was for many on Tuesday night. Indeed, some audience members apparently were already rabid fans when they arrived, including two patrons near me who started screaming at the outset and didn’t stop until the final curtain call.

If some people’s reactions are a little more muted, it could be due to Marco Pennette’s book, based on the 1992 Robert Zemeckis-directed flick of the same name. There are jokes galore, many of the naughty variety, but the overall plot is less than compelling.

At its center is the frenemy-ship between glamorous Hollywood star Madelyn Ashton (Jackie Burns) and struggling writer Helen Sharp (Kristen Beth Williams). After years of living in Madelyn’s shadow, Helen looks forward to flaunting her new fiancé, plastic surgeon Ernest Menville (Ken Marino).

Unfortunately for Helen, Madelyn sees Ernest as a challenge that she refuses to take lying down. Or, rather, she does take him lying down, seducing him and turning him into her new husband.

Fast forward several years, when Madelyn’s formerly flawless face and body have begun showing her age, and her career is suffering the consequences. Enter Viola Van Horn (Nasia Thomas), a mysterious figure with a magic potion that promises eternal youth. Naturally, the fame-addicted Madelyn can’t resist taking it, with predictably disastrous results.

Kristen Beth Williams (left) as Helen Sharp and Ken Marino as her former fiancé, Ernest Menville

The main problem with the musical’s storyline is that it can’t decide just what it’s about.

Is it a farce about female competitiveness? A satire about society’s unfair treatment of aging women? A morality tale about the importance of family and friends and/or female solidarity? A reverie about the disadvantages of immortality?

Death Becomes Her tries to touch all those bases and, as a result, falls well short of a home run. That’s probably why director/choreographer Christopher Gattelli tries to goose up the entertainment level with flashy sights, sounds and dance steps, as well as amazing special effects.

It also helps that the touring show’s cast is top-notch, displaying fine voices and nimble feet. Leading ladies Burns, Williams and Thomas all sing impressively, while Marino actually sings a little too well as Ernest, undercutting a running joke about the surgeon’s supposedly faulty pipes.

The show’s abundant flash and glitter add up to a spectacle that, depending on your theatrical tastes, will either keep you charmed throughout or leave you wishing for a bit more substance and cohesion.

Broadway in Columbus will present Death Becomes Her through Oct. 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, and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes (including intermission). For ticket information, visit columbus.broadway.com. For information about future tour stops, visit deathbecomesher.com/tour/.

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, “21st 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/.