New Cast Announced For Back To The Future the Musical

Back To The Future, Marty McFly and Doc Brown – probably two of the 1980’s most famous time travellers – are as much part of British and American movie culture as hamburgers, Coke and double fries.

So, when the idea to turn Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale’s science fiction comedy franchise into a stage musical was first hatched, little wonder that it went on to become one of London’s biggest West End hits.

With music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri & Glen Ballard and a Book by Bob Gale, the show’s still packing them in at the Adelphi Theatre four years on with bookings now being taken until July 2025.

Phil Hopkins has been in the Big Smoke to check out this nuclear reactor of a musical and say hello to some of Back To The Future – The Musical’s biggest stars.

Michael J. Fox as wide-eyed Marty McFly and his crazy sidekick Dr Emmett Brown, aka Christopher Lloyd, were as much a part of my youth as conkers in the playground, leg warmers and Cyndi Lauper!

Marty was the rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-travelling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr Emmett Brown. But, before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence!

It was one of those 1985 Spielberg movies that cost just $19m to make but went on to gross $360m (£279m), capturing millions of hearts in the process thanks to its energetic innocence, wonderful casting and mind-blowing theme: time travel in a supercar!

The total box office for all three films in the Back to the Future franchise was $936.6 million (over $1.8 billion in today’s money!).

So, it was only a matter of time before it was turned into a stage show and, in 2020 that’s exactly what happened when, in February of that year, the curtain went up on the production at Manchester’s Opera House with a West End transfer the following year.

And Back To The Future The Musical is still packing them in with the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical already in the bag.

Periodically the cast is refreshed as people move on and producers work hard to ensure that the vibrancy of opening night is always there.

Lead producer Colin Ingram, together with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, creators of the Back To The Future film trilogy, recently announced such a cast change for the musical which has also had its run extended through to Sunday 27 July 2025 at London’s Adelphi.

It’s also running in theatres across America following its Broadway premier on 30th June 2023, with future plans for a Japanese production.

Sophie Naglik, who’s currently playing Jennifer Parker in the show, says being a West End lead is no mean feat: “Working your personal and social life around the show schedule (can be tough).

"The working hours in theatre aren’t like most jobs, so finding a balance between other areas of your life can be difficult sometimes.”

But, she says, if she’d had use of a time travelling DeLorean like her sidekick Marty McFly (Ben Joyce) then she’d have given her younger self a simple truth: “There’s no need to worry, what is meant for you will happen!” And it did!

The new cast will soon include recent graduate Vasco Emauz, who is making his West End debut as ‘Marty McFly’, Orlando Gibbs (Mr Burns: A post-electric play at the Bunker Theatre), as ‘George McFly’, C.J. Borger (Kristin Chenoweth: An Evening With Friends In Honor Of Todd Haimes at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre, Broadway) as ‘Goldie Wilson’ and ‘Marvin Berry’, Alex Runicles (Barman in Choir Of Man on the US and Canada Tour) as ‘Biff Tannen’, Talia Palamathanan (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie on the Original UK Tour and at Ahmanson Theatre Los Angeles) as ‘Jennifer Parker’, Ellis Kirk (JD in Heathers the Musical at The Other Palace) as alternate ‘Marty McFly’ and Liam McHugh (Grease the Musical at the Dominion Theatre) as ‘Dave McFly’. Joining the ensemble are Kofi Aidoo-Appiah, Billie Bowman and Gracie Caine

Currently Oliver Nicholas plays Marty’s dad, George McFly.

He trained on the Acting course at Tring Park School for the Performing Arts before doing his Foundation course at the London Academy of Music & Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and credits his opening night in Back To The Future The Musical as the moment he is most proud of.

“……finally getting to live my dream playing a role I adore, with people I love, in a phenomenal show after years of working towards it. With all my friends and family supporting in the audience, I couldn’t imagine a more proud moment,” he said.

“The hardest thing about my role is when I have to be cool at the end of the show. The awkward nerdy stuff comes very naturally to me, but honestly the cool stuff took a whole lot of work!”

And, if he could time travel and meet his younger self what would he say? “Learn to dance properly you fool, it’ll help you land way more roles. And practice your instruments more!”

The show’s ‘newbies’ are joined by returning cast members Cory English as ‘Doctor Emmett Brown’, Sarah Goggin as ‘Lorraine Baines’, Lee Ormsby as ‘Strickland’ and alternate ‘Doctor Emmett Brown’ and Patricia Wilkins as ‘Linda McFly’, along with ensemble members, Ella Beaumont, Sia Dauda, Alexander Day, Helen Gulston, Matthew Ives, Connor Lewis, Adam Margilewski, Bryan Mottram, Anna Murray, Samuel Nicholas, Louis Quinn, Zachkiel Smith, Grace Swaby-Moore and Alexandra Wright.

The Original Cast Recording, released on Sony Music’s Masterworks Broadway label, is now available and has had over 20 million streams.

It features the new music by multi-Grammy Award-winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard alongside classic songs from the movie including The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode.

In July 2023, a brand new behind-the-scenes book documenting the creation of the stage show, Creating Back to the Future The Musical by Michael Klastorin, was released worldwide, published by abrams&chronicle books.

THE THEATRE
Adelphi Theatre, Strand, Covent Garden, London, WC2R0NS

TICKETS & BOOKING
Currently booking until 27 July 2025. There will be a signed performance on Sunday 15 September 2024 at 3pm and a relaxed performance on Sunday 9 March 2025 at 3pm.

Please book via the website: BackToTheFutureMusical.com – no booking fees. Booking line: 0203 925 2998. Tickets: from £19.55