The first time Zan Berube saw Back to the Future: The Musical on Broadway, she was stunned.
“My jaw was on the floor. It created theater magic. I left thinking how did they do that,” says Berube, who plays Lorraine Baines in the touring production of the show, coming to Altria Theater January 20 to 25.
Adapted for the stage by Bob Gale who created the Back to the Future trilogy and Robert Zemeckis of Forrest Gump fame, Back to the Future: The Musical has taken home several awards including the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical and the Broadway World Award for Best New Musical.
The musical has “all the scenes you know and love,” says Berube. “You get to meet the characters through a new light in musical theater song and dance.”
It also features original music by multi-Grammy winners Alan Silvestri (Avengers: Endgame) and Glen Ballard (Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror) along with the original songs in the movie.
In the 1985 film starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd among others, Fox, who plays Marty McFly, accidentally goes back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean thanks to his friend, quirky scientist Doc Brown (Lloyd). Marty somehow changes the course of history and has to correct the situation before trying to get back to the future.
Berube, who was on the road with the musical Six prior to joining Back to the Future: The Musical, knew and loved the film trilogy. She was immediately intrigued when she heard about the touring production.
“After I started singing the songs, I knew I could do this,” says Berube who grew up in Boston and was in her first professional show at the age of 13. “I feel confident in creating this character. I felt I could do Lorraine Baines, Marty’s mom, justice.”
Berube sees Lorraine (originally played by Lea Thompson in the film) as the epitome of curiosity.
“When she meets Marty, she faces that with excitement and courage,” Berube says, noting that is her favorite scene in the show. “It’s a fun role. She has so much zest for life.”
Fun for All Ages
Back to the Future: The Musical is a show for the whole family, she adds. “It captures the essence of what play and magic are for younger audiences.”
“It’s about love and dreaming,” Berube says. “Doc is a dreamer at heart who thinks you can achieve it all (whatever it is). That’s a good message even if you don’t know the movie trilogy.”
Back to the Future: The Musical is on stage at Altria Theater Tuesday, January 20 through Sunday, January 25. Tickets are available on the Broadway in Richmond website.
