January 5, 2025, the musical adaptation of the classic ‘80s movie “Back to the Future” closed its doors on Broadway in New York following its successful 18-month run. This only marks the beginning of a new chapter for the musical, as the show will extensively tour Europe and the rest of North America.
The “Back to the Future” movie serves as the first installment of a visionary sci-fi trilogy released from 1985 to 1990. The series follows the story of teenager Marty McFly, played by Micheal J Fox, and his foray into time travel with the help of eccentric scientist, Emmett “Doc” Brown, played by Christopher Lloyd. The duo travels backward and forward through time, via a souped-up Delorean, while trying not to alter the past or the future significantly.
The musical adaptation debuted on Broadway August 3, 2023, and immediately became a fan favorite. During its run time, the cast performed over 500 shows at the Winter Garden Theatre and ultimately sold over 80 million dollars in tickets. The show received mixed reviews from critics, with several asserting that the musical fails to break new creative ground, while numerous defend the production, claiming the show represents a fun-filled and entertaining experience that remains true to the source material.
“The performances of Marty McFly and Doc [on Broadway] perfectly capture the original spirit and energy of their movie counterpoints and I love seeing their dynamic throughout the show. My favorite song from the show is “It Works” as it’s a song from one of my favorite characters, Doc, and it’s a fun track with a catchy chorus. Comparing the show to the movie, the movie is better. It’s not much of the fault of the musical as in my opinion, the movie is one of the greatest movies ever made. However, fans of the movie will get a similar level of enjoyment from the musical and the musical remains true to the original story,” magnet junior Chase Wilson said.
The cast consists of numerous talented actors including Casey Likes as Marty McFly, Roger Bart as Doc Brown, Evan Alexander Smith as George McFly, Liana Hunt as Lorraine Banes, Jelani Remy as Goldie Wilson and Nathaniel Hackmann as Biff Tannen. Numerous talented professionals participated in the creation of the hit musical, notably including director John Rando, choreographer Chris Bailey, music director Ted Arthur, set and costume designer Tim Hatley and music and lyrics writers Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard.
The reasons behind the show’s New York closure primarily result from declining ticket sales and attendance, as well as difficulty sustaining the show’s high production costs. Although the musical holds immense popularity, the show failed to maintain consistent audiences and did not receive any major awards, which may have contributed to its early departure from Broadway.
The show will travel to Germany for the duration of the 2025-2026 season, while a separate North American touring cast will travel through various theaters within the U.S.. Despite erratic ticket sales on Broadway, the U.S. touring production has taken off quite successfully with the majority of shows across the U.S. nearly selling out.
“I was surprised it closed because I know it was very popular because it was relatively new and had a really cool set. My favorite thing about the show is the tech and how the creators used it to create a really cool experience that’s very different from any other show currently on Broadway. I think the special effects really help to create a fun and interesting experience when seeing the show. I think it helped people want to see the show in the first place, as well as it just being based on such a classic movie,” magnet junior Seren Witschy said.
