Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a feel good musical with no caveats for me. I saw it December 2023 on holiday in London before I moved here, and have spent plenty of time in between listening to the cast album, so seeing it again just over a year later was a joy. Even with a brief show-stop just 5minutes in!
What I liked
You may have thought a show-stop would decrease my enjoyment of a show, but I appreciate a production all the more when a cast and crew are able to professionally pause and get back into it without breaking a sweat. 15 minutes into the show, after the cue-line for “It Works!” was said, the curtain had to come down. I can’t say I know why but when they picked back up it was seamless. Doc Brown played by Cory English even threw in a little time travel joke so they could redo the lead in, and then the show sped off without a hitch.
My favourite song is tied between Something About that Boy and Put your Mind To It. Something About That Boy is a fantastic end to act 1; it’s high energy, it’s fun choreography, and it’s funny! The song feels like a a sequence from Looney Tunes with characters chasing each other and hiding around stage. On the other hand Put Your Mind To It is a fantastic and catchy duet from Marty and his father George, played by Ellis Kirk and Orlando Gibbs, playing up some slapstick within a very fun dance routine.
What wasn’t my favourite
I can’t say this for sure, but it looked as though the actress playing Linda (Marty’s sister) seemed to be wearing some padding underneath her initial costume. It’s definitely possible it was just the way the oversized sweater hung, but if it was the case that she wore padding to further enhance the reveal at the end of her improved self, I do feel using her body size as the tool was unneeded. Larger bodies do not equal unhappy or unhealthy bodies.
Overall
This is a feel good and fun show, and it’s a pretty faithful adaptation from the original film. The songs are catchy and the cast were energetic, so even as a second watch I have a very enjoyable time.
