By SHARON EBERSON
It’s safe, if a little on the nose, to say that Brittany Bohn is coming “back to the future” when she returns to Pittsburgh on July 1.
Since 2011, when she earned her BFA in Dance (minor in Musical Theatre) from Point Park University, Bohn has put those skills to work with Pittsburgh CLO (Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, 2008) and on tour with An American in Paris and Hello, Dolly, starring Betty Buckley. She made her Broadway debut in 2023, as a swing in Back to the Future: The Musical, which brings her back to where it all began, as the national tour’s dance captain.
Although this is Bohn’s third time with a national tour, all presented here by Pittsburgh CLO, it is her first since a break that preceded the pandemic shutdown.
“It’s been fun to relive when I was touring at 25, versus 35,” Bohn said. “It’s definitely a difference, but … I was really itching to get back out on the road, so I’m having a good time.”
Back to the Future brings the wow factor to the stage, along with an Olivier Award (Britain’s Tony equivalent) for best new musical. The show was nominated for a scenic design Tony Award, which means we can expect techno-lightning to strike, and a DeLorean time machine powered by “a flux capacitor” – key elements of the hit 1985 movie that inspired the musical.
(Image: McLeod9 Creative)
A quick refresher for the few who don’t know the story:
A down-on-his-luck guy named Marty McFly is sent back in time 30 years – the reasons are different from screen to stage – in a machine created by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown. Marty arrives in 1955, where he helps save the day for Doc, kick-starts his parents’ romance, KO’s the town bully, and throws in some recognizable rock ’n’ roll moves.
Back to the Future: The Musical features original songs by multi-Grammy winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, as well as hits from the movie, including Huey Lewis and the News’ The Power of Love and Back in Time, and classic rock standards Johnny B. Goode and Earth Angel. The book is by Bob Gale, who co-wrote the Back to the Future film with Zemeckis.
Choreographer Chris Bailey, whose wide-ranging credits include the Neil Patrick Harris opening of the 2013 Tony Awards, incorporates dance moves and styles from the eras covered in the show.
As a swing and dance captain, Bohn must be familiar with multiple ensemble and principal roles, both as a performer and as an instructor.
“I would say dance captaining in general is the hardest job I’ve ever done, but also the most fulfilling,” she said. “To be able to see a new castmate that you’ve taught the show from the very beginning, to see them debut and then continue to be in the show and flourish, is one of the highest highlights of doing my job.”
“Swinging it,” as she calls the performance part of her job, often means that, “during the daytime I’ll be in rehearsal, and then in the nighttime, in a split second, I could be asked to do any of the tracks, I believe I cover seven different possibilities.”
But that’s just for the roles designed for female dancers. As the dance captain, she has to be able to “hop in” to the men’s tracks – partnering from the opposite side, moving a bench here and there, whatever it takes “to help out and keep it going.”
When she arrives at the Benedum Center, July 1-6, 2025, one of the sites Bohn hopes to take in is Point Park’s relatively new Pittsburgh Playhouse – the Conservatories of Performing Arts still called Oakland home during her time at the school.
It’s a quick visit that includes seven performances, but Bohn’s ambitions include a trip to Primanti Brothers – “I will absolutely take all the kids there” – and river activities. It will be a busy time Downtown – while Back to the Future: The Musical will be setting off some pyrotechnic effects indoors, the Pirates play at home July 1 and 2, and City of Pittsburgh Fourth of July festivities will be going on across the river, on the North Shore.
“I definitely want to catch up with all the teachers at Point Park, whoever is on campus now; I am going to show all of my friends where I went to college,” Bohn said of coming back to the city that launched her future. “I lived in the South Side Slopes, so there’s a lot to see, where I spent four years of my life. I love Pittsburgh so much. I’m so excited to get back there.”
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Pittsburgh CLO presents Back to the Future: The Musical at the Benedum Center July 1-6, 2025. Tickets: Visit https://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/back-to-the-future-the-musical .
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