‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ @ Broadway Dallas
—Photos by McLeod9 Creative, Matthew Murphy, Evan Zimmerman
Carol M. Rice
If you’re like me, you roll your eyes at the thought of another musical based on a popular movie, especially if it’s one of your personal faves. Where are all the original ideas?
But you might want to slow your roll this time: Back to the Future: The Musical may not be a brand-new idea, but it’s a great story—and the outstanding national tour company playing through March 30 at the Music Hall at Fair Park (presented by Broadway Dallas) does it right.
For one thing, Lucas Hallauer is Marty McFly. He manages to make the role completely his own while paying respectful homage to Michael J. Fox. Hallauer’s strong tenor voice and smooth physicality make his portrayal of the iconic character shine. He’s almost never offstage, yet seems to have boundless energy, and his chemistry with his co-stars is excellent across the board.
One of these co-stars is Zan Berube, who plays Lorraine Baines (aka Marty’s mom) in both 1985 and 1955. Her teenaged googly-eyed swooning over Marty is adorable and believable, and she and the female ensemble (Ina Black, Alyssa Carol, and Zoe Brooke Reed) make the most of the song “Pretty Baby”—which further highlights Berube’s chemistry with Hallauer. Later on, when Lorraine’s affections shift to George (Marty’s future dad), played by Gumby-like Mike Bindeman, we get to see a less frantic, sweeter love in bloom. It’s a nice, subtle contrast.
Like Hallauer, Bindeman makes the role of George his own while often channeling his movie counterpart. His physical control in creating George’s awkwardness is something to behold, and his facial expressions are off the charts!
As Doc Brown, Don Stephenson is often off the charts as well, and sometimes plays things a bit too big. In some of his crazier moments, Doc becomes hard to understand, especially when he’s breaking the fourth wall and talking to the audience. But I will say that Stephenson’s improvised moments (caused by a set piece malfunction) were priceless—and cracked up co-star Hallauer. And when Stephenson sings the lovely song “For the Dreamers” in Act II, we see him creating a more realistic and engaging portrayal of Doc Brown.
As everyone’s favorite bad guy Biff Tannen, Ethan Rogers towers over everyone in the cast, but only overpowers them when he’s supposed to. His body language says “big, dumb bully”—yet Tannen proves he can move with the best of them during “Something About That Boy,” which showcases not only Chris Bailey’s choreography, but Maurice Chan’s fight direction.
Cartreze Tucker plays Goldie Wilson, a role that’s been brilliantly expanded from the film. His “Gotta Start Somewhere” is a showstopper in the middle of Act I. And later on in the plot, Tucker transforms into the bandleader Marvin Berry.
Luke Antony Neville bounces among four roles, the most memorable being Principal Strickland. He makes each of his characters distinct enough that if you aren’t paying close attention, you might not realize they’re played by one lively actor.
The show wouldn’t be possible, of course, without the talented member of the ensemble, who fill in all the other roles, from Biff’s sidekicks to Marty’s siblings—plus some singing and dancing figments of Doc Brown’s imagination. Ensemble member Kiara Lee gets some nice moments as Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer Parker at the beginning and end of the show.
Back to the Future is a visual “wow” as well. Tech and design skillfully combine the use of physical set pieces, painted drops, projections, video, and lighting to create the show’s eye-popping special effects. Kudos to lighting designers Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone, video designer Finn Ross, and illusion designer Chris Fisher.
One example of the razzle-dazzle: the first time we see the DeLorean, the car literally appears out of nowhere. My companion thought she must have looked away and missed the moment, but I assured her it was instantaneous. I’ll be trying to figure how how some of that stuff was done for a long time.
Director John Rando has done a fabulous job of putting cast, music, and technical expertise together for a seamless, fun, and completely entertaining theater experience. Strong vocals and talented musicians are a pleasure to hear; one of the things I loved most in the show was that it included several of the memorable songs from the movie.
Music director Matt Doebler leads and plays in the band, which includes several local musicians. Songs and lyrics for the musical are by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, and the book is by Bob Gale, who co-wrote the screenplay for the 1985 movie with director Bob Zemeckis. New songs and old ones blend in performance, and everything fits together nicely.
Back to the Future: The Musical is the perfect combination of ‘80s nostalgia, energetic singing and dancing, and amazing special effects. I can’t imagine anyone not enjoying this show, whether they’re familiar with the movie or not. Go see it for yourself!
WHEN: March 18-30, 2025
WHERE: The Music Hall at Fair Park, Dallas
WEB: broadwaydallas.org
