By SHARON EBERSON
From the first appearance of the iconic DeLorean time machine on the Benedum Center stage, Back to the Future: The Musical takes off with the whoop and wow of a theme park attraction, powered by high-energy performances and crowd-pleasing special effects wizardry.
Just as in the original 1985 movie, there’s magic in the DeLorean’s journey to the past, with the added thrill of seeing it all happen live, courtesy of the national tour presented by Pittsburgh CLO.
The cringey moments of Back to the Future also remain in a musical that is mostly faithful to the movie, down to Marty McFly’s 1980s’-style down vest, which folks in the 1950s take for a life preserver. Amid a fast-paced swirl of confusion, teenage Marty accidentally time travels to 1955, when he meets his parents in their high school days, discovering the root of his father’s overwhelming meekness and drawing the (yuck) romantic overtures of his mother.
And don’t start me on that time travel no-no, the butterfly effect: The idea that any change made in the past, even a tiny one, can have major implications for the future.
Yet, with its unabashedly nostalgic tone, fast-paced action and parade of energetic musical numbers, Back to the Future retains its spirit of hopefulness, which won the the movie a legion of lifelong fans. At its heart, it’s a story about how a word or deed can spark the inner strength to change the course of one’s life for the better.
The show pushes the nostalgia button for the movie score early on, with a few notes of Power of Love by Huey Lewis and the News. Although that pays off in the end, the original songs by multi-Grammy winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard strike chords mostly as they launch numbers that include lively nods to the lindy hop and jitterbug, and classic moves from Chuck Berry’s duck walk to Michael Jackson’s moonwalk.
In the book by co-screenwriter Bob Gale, Marty is an aspiring musician whose girlfriend (Sophia Yacap as Jennifer) promises an audition for her record exec uncle, whose name is Huey.
If you are a fan of the movie and anticipating the epic electric guitar solo and rock ‘n’ roll moves to Johnny B. Goode, Lucas Hallauer as Marty does not disappoint.
Hallauer’s performance has Michael J. Fox vibes written all over it, along with challenging his vocal chords with high-pitched exclamations of surprise and Broadway belts, while setting a pace that dares others to catch up.
Broadway veteran David Josefberg allows wild wigs do the talking as far as linking to Doc Browns of the past (Christopher Lloyd and Tony-nominated Roger Bart), while making the character of the eccentric scientist his own.
The creator of the time machine that sets the story in motion, his Doc Brown gets nearly equal time to Hallauer’s Marty. In a running gag, when the eccentric scientist sings a rousing song, he is accompanied by a chorus in elaborate dance numbers and evocative costumes, including the futuristic extravaganza that opens the second act.
Josefberg’s Doc brings his character’s softer side into focus with the solo For the Dreamers, a welcome lowering of the volume and a reflection that sums up his hopes for Marty’s and his own future,
As George McFly, Mike Bindeman pushes the limits of awkward elasticity, well beyond even Crispin Glover’s movie version of George, and putting a punctuation point on Marty saying, “My father has no spine.” His character is like the Cowardly Lion, steadfastly afraid, but in the body of the flopping Scarecrow, as Marty desperately tries to get his father to turn his life around.
Zan Berube plays Marty’s mother, Lorraine, whose overt teenage flirtatiousness might be fun, until you remember that it’s being heaped on her son.
Having accidentally interfered with his parents’ first meeting and therefore the kiss that seals the deal, Marty is in a race against time to get them together, while hounded by the town bully, the perfectly obnoxious Nathaniel Hackmann as the beefy Biff.
A standout is Cartreze Tucker in dual roles, as a young man with a big voice and big aspirations in smalltown Hill Valley, California.
Back in 1955, time is of the essence for Marty and Doc because a) Marty has to unite his parents because otherwise, he and his siblings will disappear from existence, and b) he has but one chance to return to his proper place in time: using a lightning strike as a power source.
Stolen plutonium used to set the DeLorean in motion was used up while sending Marty back in time, and a lightning strike at a precise moment – necessitating coordination with the clock high above the town square – is Marty’s only way home.
The clock tower scene, and Josefberg’s apparent high-wire act to attract lightning to the DeLorean, is a feat of acting and effects that is a wonder to behold, and had the Benedum Center audience cheering during Tuesday’s night’s opening. The apparently knowledgeable audience applauded memorable moments that paid homage to the movie, while also cheering the Tony-nominated transformation from screen to stage.
Along the timeline, there were nods to other sci-fi/fantasy classics, such as Star Wars and Doctor Who, and playful references to the fact that the DeLorean has touched down in Pittsburgh, through Sunday, July 6.
As a reimagination of a blast from the past, Back to the Future is faithfully devoted to honoring its film source, while producing high-octane fun and theatrical magic on a grand scale.
TICKETS AND DETAILS
The national tour of Back to the Future: The Musical is presented by Pittsburgh CLO, which partnered with British producer Colin Ingram as an early investor for the musical that originated in Manchester, England, then went on to the West End and Broadway. Back to the Future is at the Benedum Center, Downtown, through July 6, 2025. Tickets: https://www.pittsburghclo.org/shows/back-to-the-future-the-musical/.
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