When actor Casey Likes watched “Back to the Future” rising up, his mother would at all times say he reminded her a variety of the movie’s star, Michael J. Fox. Something within the universe agrees: He’s taken on Fox’s basic film position on Broadway.
The rising stage star performs Marty McFly for a musical adaptation of the beloved 1985 sci-fi comedy a few time-traveling teenager who goes again to the Fifties in a souped-up, gull-winged DeLorean.
“I remember growing up and just really, really loving the film. It kind of sat in that realm of like ‘E.T.’ and ‘Close Encounters’ — movies that came at a time when film was magical,” says Likes, 21. “I hope we accomplish something kind of similar with Broadway.”
The present, which gained the Olivier Award for finest new musical final yr in London, arrives on the Winter Garden Theatre this summer time with a narrative by Bob Gale, who beforehand co-created and co-wrote the film with Robert Zemeckis. It hews very carefully to the unique, together with having a DeLorean onstage and the shout “Great Scott!”
Broadway veteran and Tony Award-winner Roger Bart takes on Christopher Lloyd’s position of Doc Brown, the oddball scientist with a knack for innovations. Bart remembers seeing “Back to the Future” in his early 20s when it first appeared in film theaters. He watched with three mates from theater college they usually have been all secretly jealous of Fox.
“None of my friends — even knowing each other as well as we did — none of them, including my mother, ever nudged me and said, ‘No, no, kid. You’re Doc Brown. Just be patient,’” the Tony-winner says laughing.
Like the movie, the musical facilities on Marty McFly touring again to his hometown in 1955. Once there, he will get caught up within the cleaning soap opera lives of his personal teenage mother and father, together with his mother, who develops a crush on her future son. He should reconnect mother and pa or he dangers disappearing from historical past.
“We feel like it’s very important – I’m sure Casey would agree — for the public to come to the show and recognize that they are seeing that story in a different form but with all of its charms very deeply intact,” says Bart, whose Broadway credit embrace “The Producers,” “Disaster!” and “Young Frankenstein.”
New songs have been crafted by the movie’s composer Alan Silvestri and songwriter and producer Glen Ballard. Some Huey Lewis and the News songs from the film even have been included, just like the theme tune “The Power of Love” and “Back in Time,” in addition to Marty McFly’s futuristic rendition of “Johnny B. Goode.”
“We go back to the ‘50s, you get some songs that sound like ’Grease,’ like ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ And then we have some ‘80s moments in there that are very ’Footloose,’” says Likes. “It feels kind of like the greatest hits of not only rock ‘n’ roll, but of musical theater.”
While each males are followers of the movies — and each acquired to fulfill the unique stars at a gala final week — neither Bart nor Likes wish to straightjacket themselves into the best way Fox and Lloyd carried out their roles.
“I don’t want to impersonate the movie. I want to remind you of the movie,” says Likes, who made his Broadway debut final yr because the Cameron Crowe-inspired lead character of the musical “Almost Famous.”
“There’s a lot of things that Roger is doing that are similar, and there’s a lot of things that I’m doing that hopefully are similar to Michael. But we’re really just reminding you of their brilliance. Hopefully, at the same time, you’re able to kind of go along the journey with our Marty and Doc.”
In addition to being a cultural touchstone, “Back to the Future” was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation within the National Film Registry and the American Film Institute listed it because the No. 10 finest science-fiction movie. Bart thinks the film’s endurance is as a result of it manages to straddle many worlds.
There’s a time journey story and one about attending to know your mother and father as friends. There’s a love story between Marty’s mother and father and there is additionally a buddy film — Marty and Doc placing their friendship on the road.
“Between all of these elements, it answers so many of the things that we love about that era of moviemaking and storytelling,” says Bart. “I think that’s one of the reasons why it is has sort of stuck around so long.”
Not to say the truth that audiences can respect the story at completely different components of their lives. Kids can benefit from the thrills and particular results; adults might be moved by the notion of assembly their very own mothers and dads. “Part of its sustaining power is the fact that it can mean one thing at one age and another at another,” says Bart.
Likes additionally provides one more reason: Marty initially solely desires to get again to his personal time interval to reconnect together with his girlfriend. But his causes begin to change — save Doc, save his household, save the world.
“As the show goes on, there’s more stacked up reasons as to why he has to get back. And I think that’s a really interesting thing to think about in our own life,” he says. “What would be our reasons to to get back to our current life?”
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