The much-beloved Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment film Back to the Futurewas released in 1985 starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown – and a DeLorean equipped with a flux capacitor to propel the driver into the past and then back to the future. The film grossed $360.6 million at the box office worldwide, and given the extraordinary entertaining production now at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, the stage musical based on the film will no doubt set box office records in every city it visits!
The 2022 Olivier Award-winning Best New Musical BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical has a book by Bob Gale, new music and lyrics by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri and six-time Grammy Award-winning Glen Ballard, with additional songs from the film including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.” Bob Gale is also the co-creator and co-writer of the Back to the Future film trilogy and Alan Silvestri composed the iconic film score for the series.
At the center of the story is Marty McFly, a rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown. But with his visit, the course of Marty’s own history has been changed since his own teenage mother has fallen in love with him! But before Marty can return to his future life in 1985, he must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance to save his future existence. And I’d love to tell you more about how the DeLorean was employed as such an integral part of the show, but I do not want to spoil the surprises you will see each time the vehicle appears onstage in this visually stunning production!
Blessed with a wonderful script and score, plus a very talented cast of performers, I guarantee you will be transported into the magic of the musical thanks to the all-encompassing video projections designed by Finn Ross and illusions designed by Chris Fisher. Cast members morph into projected images, most notably when Doc climbs the stairs up to the town clock to reconnect the displaced wire to guarantee Marty will be able to get back to the future. And kudos to choreographer Chris Bailey for creating all the attention-grabbing ensemble numbers which dazzle the senses not only through movement, but also thanks to Scenic and Costume Designer Tim Hatley.
I was amazed to discover Music Director Matt Doebler and Associate Music Director Emily Orr, both on keys, lead just nine more musicians, as I expected to see a much larger band given the rocking music filling the theater from start to finish. And just wait until you hear Doc sing “For the Dreamers” in which he salutes all the inventors who inspired him to create time travel. No doubt you will find inspiration from the lyrics to always keep pursuing your goals no matter the challenges, so necessary in our world today.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical is radiantly directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando and features a multi-Tony and Olivier Award-winning design team that includes the above-mentioned designers along with Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone (lighting), Gareth Owen (sound) musical supervision and arrangements by Nick Finlow, orchestrations by Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, dance arrangements by David Chase, and casting by Tara Rubin. Bespoke Theatricals serves as General Manager of the tour, with lead producer Colin Ingram and a team of 15 co-producers listed in the program.
I was lucky to attend on opening night, and after the final curtain, members of the original film’s cast and production team in attendance were introduced to great applause. It was a rousing ending to what is sure to be one of the most popular new musicals for families of all ages! Tickets through December 1 in Los Angeles are available at www.BroadwayInHollywood.com, www.Ticketmaster.com or in person at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre box office. A $39 Digital Lottery is offered for every performance at the Pantages exclusively through www.BroadwayInHollywood.com/App, with $30 Rush Tickets for Students & Educators available in person only at the theater, subject to availability with valid school IDs, two hours prior to showtime. For more information, visit www.BroadwayInHollywood.com/SpecialOffers. The production returns to Southern California at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from December 26–January 5. More info at www.BackToTheFutureMusical.com.
When FIDDLER ON THE ROOF with music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein, opened on Broadway in 1964, the musical was nominated for ten Tony Awards and won nine. Set in 1905 Czarist Russia, the musical opens with Tevye (Jason Alexander who gives a tour-de-force performance as the beloved character) breaking the fourth wall singing “Prologue: Tradition” with the ensemble, during which he explains what keeps the Jews of Anatevka hopeful their way of life will always exist. He also explains the lot of the Jews in Russia is as precarious as a fiddler on a roof, trying to scratch out a pleasant tune while not breaking their backs. In fact, the fiddler (David Prottas) appears throughout the musical as a metaphoric symbol of traditions being challenged as performed by the talented 34-member cast.
Along with the threatening political issues, FIDDLER focuses on the humble dairy farmer Tevye’s quest to find suitable husbands for his three eldest daughters, Tzeitel (Rachel Ravel), Hodel (Alanna J. Smith), and Chava (Emerson Glick) who shine together singing “Matchmaker, Matchmaker” expressing their hope to be paired with handsome husbands who are wealthy to please their Mama Golde. But despite the efforts of matchmaker Yente (Eileen T’Kaye) and against his wishes of their father, Tevye’s daughters make their own decisions on whom to marry. Throughout the musical, Alexander combines the right amount of Jewish gravitas and humor, giving us a Tevye who loves his traditions but ultimately loves his daughters even more. That is until the book-educated Chava follows her heart to marry the Russian Fyedka (Sawyer Patterson) outside the faith, leaving Tevye no choice but to follow tradition and banish his much-beloved daughter from the family.
Tzeitel (Rachel Ravel) is initially promised to the town’s butcher Lazar Wolf (Ron Orbach) during the rousing ode to family celebrations “To Life” performed by the male villagers in the town’s bar. But she has already promised herself to the town’s tailor Motel, authentically portrayed by Cameron Mabie as the nebbish, mild-mannered man who learns to speak up for himself. His joy in obtaining Tevye’s blessing to marry Tzeitel (Ravel) is shared from his soul in “Miracle of Miracles.” The same is true of Remi Laifer as Perchik, the radical student who challenges the tradition of separating men and women at Tzeitel’s wedding, and thus captures the heart of Hodel (Smith). Her heartbreaking solo “Far From The Home I Love” is the loveliest ballad in the show, capturing the angst of her decision to leave home and follow Perchik to Siberia where he promises they will be married. Poor Tevye is heartbroken, praying to God to “keep her warm” as he walks away from Hodel waiting at the train station.
The real thorn in Tevye’s side is his ever-nagging wife Golde, exquisitely played by Valerie Perri as a woman who knows she is really in charge of the household but must acquiesce to her husband’s ego by letting him think he rules the roost. She and Jason Alexander let us see inside their relationship while harmonizing to comedic delight during “Do You Love Me?” And the Russian constable (Gregory North) who, while respecting Tevye’s right to live as he chooses until he is forced to banish Tevye and the entire town, causing them to leave the home and neighbors they love. And anyone of Jewish heritage certainly knows these pogroms really happened to their own families banished from their homes in Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 20th Century. After the performance, Jason Alexander shared it being true for his family, as it is for mine. And no doubt that shared history by so many Jews around the world contributes to the popularity of this great musical.
Directed with great emotional depth by Lonny Price, blessed with a formidable in-person orchestra led by Music Director/Conductor Alby Potts, and Jerome Robbins original choreography reproduced by Lee Martino, this is a FIDDLER for the entire family as it shares a story all too familiar today, with one set of people pushing out another strictly based on religious beliefs, the color of their skin, or gender identity.
Tickets starting at $34 are selling out quickly and can be purchased at La Mirada Theatre’s Box Office at (562) 944-9801 or (714) 994-6310 or website at www.LaMiradaTheatre.com. 50 percent off student tickets are available in select sections, as are group and military discounts. Recommended for audiences above the age of 6 with no children under 3 admitted at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, located at 14900 La Mirada Blvd at the intersection of Rosecrans Avenue close to where the 91 and 5 freeways meet. Free onsite parking. Cast Talkbacks on Thursday, November 14 and Wednesday, November 27 (no show on Thanksgiving). Open Captioning on Saturday, November 23 at 2 p.m.