Whether or not you’re a child of the 80’s like I am, you’re sure to sing along and rock and roll through this time-travel musical shindig, Back to the Future-The Musical, now playing at the Altria Theater through this Sunday, January 25th, presented by Broadway In Richmond.
If you’re expecting a re-told story of the 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd, then yes, it is the story as you know it. But then amp it up ten-fold with additional original music and choreography that you don’t see in the movie, add in some of the most talented stage performers and special effects that will blow your mind (watch out for the Delorean time machine appearing from nowhere), and you’ve got a high-speed extravaganza that the entire family will enjoy to gigawatt levels.
From the show’s opening number, “It’s Only a Matter of Time,” to the closing number, “The Power of Love” (yes, the Huey Lewis hit), Marty McFly, played by Virginia Beach native Lucas Hallauer, and his eccentric mad-scientist co-star Doc Brown, played by David Josefsberg, comically sing and dance their way from 1985 to 1955 and then back to 1985, re-telling this tale of time travel with all the characters you remember from the popular movie franchise.
The supporting characters, George McFly, Marty’s bumbling nerdy father, played by Mike Bindeman, Marty and George’s nemesis bully Biff Tannen, portrayed by Nathaniel Hackman, and “current and future Mayor” Goldie Wilson, played by Cartreze Tucker (who also plays bandleader Marvin Berry—you know, Chuck’s brother), absolutely steal the show with their spot-on familiar characters and song performances (“Put Your Mind to It,” “Teach Him a Lesson,” and “Gotta Start Somewhere,” respectively) that stand the test of…well…time.
Speaking of songs, yes, you’ll recognize the familiar BTTF overture overtones throughout the show, and pop songs “Earth Angel,” “Back In Time,” and “Johnny B. Goode,” but the additional original tunes from Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard add a fresh new feel to this throwback nostalgia to the Eighties’ and Fifties’ eras, all accompanied by an uber-talented live orchestra, which is more like a rock-n-pop band for the show.
And finally, the special effects for live stage performances tend to be undertones, but for BTTF-The Musical, witnessing a time-traveling Delorean come to life, feeling it travel at higher than lightspeeds, and a gravity-defying surprise ending to the show will leave you wanting to jump in the car/time machine with Doc and Marty to go back and forth in time.
If you’re a fan of the movie franchise, you will love going back in time with Back to The Future-The Musical!
Back to The Future-The Musical plays at Altria Theater through Sunday, January 25. Tickets are available on the Altria Theater website.
Read RFM’s interview with Zan Berube who plays Lorraine in the show.
