MINNEAPOLIS — “Back to the Future: The Musical” takes audiences back in time at the Orpheum Theater. The Broadway hit transforms the sci-fi spectacle into an energetic live performance.
“You think, ‘Back to the Future,’ but you can’t do that. It can’t be done (on stage),” actor Don Stephenson said. “And yet they’ve found ways to do it that are so wonderful and so enjoyable for the audience.”
Stephenson plays Doc Brown, the eccentric mastermind behind perhaps the most iconic movie vehicle ever: the DeLorean time machine.
“It’s another character on the show and just like my co-star,” he said as he sat on the hood of the car for our interview. “Marty and Doc and the DeLorean.”
Every memorable character from the film returns when Marty McFly, played by Caden Brauch, travels back to 1955. He is suddenly thrust into a mission to make his parents fall in love and return to the future. Characters like George McFly and Biff Tannen seem to have been plucked straight from the film, both in voice and appearance.
Eric Sprotsy, the production manager, said adapting films for the stage is an episodic task.
“It goes so much faster when we have these short, little scenes and all the magic of the movie. So it made the show extremely complicated, extremely technical, and it took a huge number of people,” he said.
One of the most exciting moments is when the DeLorean makes its grand entrance, an explosive reveal that sends the speakers roaring with bass. The car moves slowly across the stage, but various theatrical tricks help make it seem as if it is zooming through the fictional town of Hill Valley and traveling through time.
“We use conventional theater automation techniques, where things are automated, they move on cables under the deck, but we also add magic to that,” Sprotsy said.
He really means magic. Sprosty said a team of illusionists worked with the production crew to make the DeLorean drive, fly, appear and disappear.
The car is identical to the film version down to the smallest detail, but is slightly smaller than the real thing. Stephenson and Brauch have to contort their bodies to fit inside, but this is hardly noticeable to the audience.
People who know the story will be eagerly awaiting memorable lines and moments from the film, but Stephenson says that first-time viewers will also be on the edge of their seats, creating a new generation of Back to the Future fans.
“It’s science fiction with action, a touch of romance and so much more. But I think people keep coming back to it over the years because it has such heart,” Stephenson said.
“Back to the Future: The Musical” runs through September 22. Tickets are still available. Click here for more information.
Jeff Wagner
