TIME I’LL NEVER GET BACK
Any time I see a show that truly knocks it out of the park, it fills me with so much joy to be able to review it. Nothing quite compares to the transcendent experience of great theatre, and I love nothing more than singing its praises. Sadly, this is not one of those shows.
For those who don’t know, which is arguably a small minority, Back To The Future: The Musical — which opened as part of a national tour in L.A. at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre this Wednesday, November 6, 2024 — is an adaptation of the acclaimed 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, the first of a trilogy. It’s about a skateboarding, guitar-playing teenage boy who accidentally travels into the past in a sports car that a harebrained inventor turned into a time machine. He has to help his parents unite so he and his siblings don’t get erased from history and then find a way back to 1985. I grew up with and love this movie. It practically defined an era and is considered by many to be one of the best films ever made.
Caden Brauch
Don Stephenson and Caden Brauch
Without hyperbole, I can say that Back To The Future: The Musical is the worst musical I have ever seen. It pains me to say that because I am such a passionate advocate for musical theatre. It often gets a bad rap, and unfortunately it’s shows like this that perpetuate that reputation. Plus, the movie has such a special place in my heart, and this production was disheartening.
Caden Brauch
Zan Berube, Burke Swanson, Caden Brauch and Company
I will admit I have high standards. I believe it’s important to keep them high so that we don’t devolve into mediocrity or worse. But I’m by no means cynical. I go into every theatre with the same hope as all the other people in the audience: to see a great show. Given the fact this is a musical version of Back To The Future, I did temper my expectations somewhat. I was ready to accept a confectionary spectacle. And judging by the cavalcade of DeLorean’s outside and the impressive design of the pre-show projections, I was also ready to be wowed by the production value.
Don Stephenson
Don Stephenson, Caden Brauch and Company
And to be fair, the production value is one of its semi-redeeming qualities. This show had quite the budget. The design team (Tim Hatley, designer; Tim Lutkin & Hugh Vanstone, lighting designers; Finn Ross, video designer; Chris Fisher, illusion designer; Gareth Owen, sound designer) pulled out every single stop. It was a visual and aural feast with impressive theatrical recreations of iconic scenes and images from the original film, including Marty McFly (Caden Brauch) racing the time traveling car through a parking lot, jumping thirty years into the past, and crashing into a barn.
Ethan Rogers, Caden Brauch, Burke Swanson and Company
Cartreze Tucker and Company
But that’s where the praise ends. Where did it go wrong? First, the story. While they were largely faithful to the plot, there were some regrettable departures. For instance, instead of being gunned down by Libyan terrorists over stolen plutonium, Doc Brown (Don Stephenson) is struck with radiation poisoning. With all the theatrical wizardry they pulled off, could they not figure out how to achieve a shoot-out? Or was it just too shocking for our sensitive and impressionable minds? Either way, it eliminated one of the key sources of heart and depth that made the film so beloved. When Doc Brown is shot, it grounds what would otherwise be a superficially fanciful story. And when he reveals his bulletproof vest at the end of the film, it’s quite moving. Him suddenly glowing green and keeling over on stage looks ridiculous by comparison.
Don Stephenson and Caden Brauch
Caden Brauch and Burke Swanson
Then there’s the score. It’s not only forgettable, it’s incoherent, kitschy, and grating, which is surprising coming from the powerhouses that are Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard. More than once I found myself tuning out or wishing a song would stop.
So, the show itself is already a disappointment. But to add insult to injury, the director, John Rando, has the cast delivering distorted caricatures of the original characters. It’s not clear if this SNL-on-crack portrayal is meant to be tongue-in-cheek or if it’s an honest attempt to pay homage. Regardless, it was entirely off-putting and, at times, agonizing. I mean, bless those actors’ hearts. I’m sure they are all wonderful in their own right. They clearly have chops and they were fully committed, but this production does them no service.
Burke Swanson, Ethan Rogers, Caden Brauch and Zan Berube
Caden Brauch and Company
I don’t particularly enjoy being so critical. No one wants their work condemned. And I want musical theatre to flourish, so if anything, I’m biased toward giving artists the benefit of the doubt. However, as much as I’m an advocate for this art form, I’m equally a guardian. I would be remiss if I weren’t judicious. I intend no disrespect toward the creators, only the utmost respect for theatre. And this was truly a substandard experience.
But hey, don’t take my word for it. Is it possible for someone to have a good time at Back To The Future: The Musical? Absolutely. There certainly were a fair number in the audience on opening night. But I, on the other hand, was wishing I could get my time back.
photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Back to the Future: The Musical
national tour
presented by Broadway in Hollywood
plays the Hollywood Pantages until December 1, 2024
tour continues; for dates and cities, visit Back To The Future Musical
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
While I agree with a lot of your comments, I think you do disservice to the musical. I’m one of those who enjoyed the show as happy mindless entertainent. But, I mainly objected to the choreography: at times it was outright ludicrous, stilted and ridiculous in contrast to the times when it was just fine. The character of George McFly was an absurd parody of the character from the movie. I hate to disagree with you, but if this is one of the worst musicals you’ve seen, I think you must have been living in a cave. I personally hated the 2014 production of American Idiot (touring) in 2014 (although the current production at Mark Taper is excellent.) I also hated both the movie Mathilda and the touring musical version. I’m sure there were others I really disliked, but these are the only two productions I remember walking out of.
Hi Lee,
You are more than welcome to disagree. I can absolutely see the appeal as mindless entertainment. It didn’t even rise above that bar for me, but tastes are different. At least we seem to be in agreement that it’s not a stroke of genius theatre. I’m also with you on the choreography. There’s much more I could have commented on—including the dancing—but I didn’t want to belabor my point. Contrary to my relatively pale complexion, I haven’t been living in a cave. I’ve seen quite a bit of theatre, although I didn’t see the 2014 American Idiot. I can imagine, because that musical is not the greatest, it might’ve made the bottom of my list. I was fortunate to be part of the current Deaf West/CTG production and I agree that they did wonders with rather flawed material. I loved the film version of the musical Matilda, though. So, to each their own. I still stand by what I said—this was the worst production I, personally, have ever seen.
We saw the Back to the Future national tour, twice. At both, the audiences loved the show. They awarded the cast with long standing ovations. Everyone we saw experienced joy. Reading your review raised questions: Have you been to many Broadway shows? Who is Christopher Lloyd Bratten? And how could this possibly rank as the worst musical? Did you see Spiderman, Zhivago, or Carrie? We witnessed thousands loving BTTF.
So we read your other reviews and tried to understand your mindset.
Who is this “Christopher Lloyd” who seems so bitter, a fellow theatregoer with such a different experience than the hundreds of kids falling in love with theatre thanks to the family-friendly BTTF, plus young adults and thousands of parents and older folks adults cheering loudly at the curtain call? Is Christopher Lloyd Bratten a young adult seeing magic with their family in theatre for the first time?
Mr. Bratten, if you love theatre as you claim, how did you miss the joy brought to the audience — and you failed to mention the show you saw had a long-standing ovation.
Hi Jim!
If you’d like to get to know me, I can certainly share some pertinent information. I’m a musician, music director, composer, arranger, music theorist, and educator. I have a bachelor’s in music performance, a master’s in interdisciplinary music studies, and (incidentally) an associate degree in ASL interpreting. I’ve been teaching music and musical theatre in higher education for over ten years and have also run a musical theatre department. I’ve performed in, music directed, produced, and seen countless musicals.
But none of that really matters when it comes down to personal preference. I fault no one for liking or even loving Back To The Future. I don’t think they’re wrong. I’m simply offering my analysis with a bit of my personal preferences. I’m happy you enjoy this musical, and my apologies if my review struck an unpleasant chord for you. It’s bound to happen. I’m sure if you shared your thoughts on Spiderman, Zhivago, or Carrie, the people who love those shows might be just as displeased.
At the end of the day, though, as you admit, you don’t know me. And I hope that you, and anyone else reading my reviews, would refrain from casting judgments on me, my character, or my reputation simply because they disagree with my assessment. Art is highly subjective.
I’m not bitter at all. I love going to the theatre and I always go in with an open and optimistic mind. (If you’ve read my other reviews [with a similarly open mind], I’m sure you’d pick that up.) And I try to balance that with my expertise and my responsibilities as a bastion of the arts. Reviewing is tough because you can’t please everyone.
Be well.
Thanks for your review Christopher! You shared my thoughts exactly after seeing the play. I’m not an avid theater goer, nor am I a musical lover by any means, but the allure to see a BTTF play piqued my interest. I did like the production design, and I actually really enjoyed the actors portrayals of the characters, though I was not a fan of Caden Braunch as Doc, but that’s all I liked about it. I agreed with your comments about the music, especially with the one number coming out of the intermission. Made me wish I had joined the few people around us who left at intermission. Speaking about intermission, I did hear a few people around us saying it was enjoyable enough to stay, but they didn’t understand how it could have been nominated for any Tony’s.
So once again, thanks for your review!