Have you ever watched your favorite movie and wondered, “Would that ever make a great musical in the future?” Forty-one years ago, we witnessed the beginning of an American icon as we saw a time machine built out of a DeLorean go 88 miles per hour in “Back to the Future”. To me, it was one of the iconic movies of my lifetime. From the stunning visual effects to the iconic phrases like “Great, Scott!”, “1.21 Gigawatts!?!” and “Roads, where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” When I first heard that they took a beloved movie and made it into a musical, I was so skeptical that I had to do a double-take. But when I ventured into the Hippodrome Theatre this week to finally see this musical, all my fears were suddenly gone like the fire trails on the streets of Hill Valley.

Most people know about the movie, but in case you haven’t seen it (and shame on you if you never experienced it), here’s a quick synopsis. Hill Valley teenager Marty McFly met up with eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett Brown at the mall to witness an experimental breakthrough, a souped-up DeLorean turned into a time machine that took the young teen back to 1955 when he accidentally met his parents as teens. Now, he has to find Doc and find a way to get “back to the future”.

Now, that takes us back to Charm City 2026 and the musical itself. Back to the Future: The Musical kicks in the nostalgia factor for those who grew up seeing the film since the 80s. While it follows the movie majority of the time, some scenes and familiar moments were condensed to fit the new narrative while other things were changed. Say goodbye to the Libyans chase at Twin Pines Mall and Doc getting shot by one. The one thing I am glad that didn’t change was the main star itself, the DeLorean DMC-12 time machine itself. It still had the same design we came to know and love but keen eyes would see that the interior was full detailed. I tip my hat to the designers who brought machine back to life for the stage. The effects to create the car going 88 mph through Hill Valley 1985 & 1955 was achieved through such video design where the car was between a see-through scrim and another screen backstage sells the scene despite being a simple set-up. The theatre magic truly worked here!

On to the performances… Lucas Hallauer took on the role of Marty McFly and did a pretty good job. I loved the way he delivered the genuine panic when Marty meets his mother, Lorraine, in 1955, to his cool, suave demeanor as Marty is destined to be the next rock n’ roll star playing “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode”. I felt that Lucas got Marty’s mannerisms down cold. On the other side of the duo was Doc Brown, played by David Josefberg. I have never seen Doc so eccentric, and David killed with his performance. He brought out that captivating presence of Doc Brown we loved and gave us chills with his mad scientist vibes. His crowning moments came at two of the numbers: “It Works,” where Doc describes the DeLorean, and a swarm of backup dancers came out as he sings, and the timely “For the Dreamers,” which tugs at the heartstrings.

If there was one more standout performance among the cast, it has to be from the man who brought Mayor Goldie Wilson to life…. Cartreze Tucker. When he was on stage performing the number “Gotta Start Somewhere,” it gave Goldie his moment in the sun, especially when he hit those high notes like no tomorrow. Much praise to this wonderful actor, and I do hope I hear him sing again in the future.

While some songs from the musical like “It Works”, “Gotta Start Somewhere” and “For the Dreamers” helped tell the story, others like “My Myopia” didn’t sell it for it.  I do admit that it was quite interesting how they took Alan Silvestri’s theme and created a song based on its melody, called “It’s Only a Matter of Time.” Once again, it brought the nostalgia factor to mind: once I hear those familiar notes, I know that I am in for a wild ride.

Back to the Future: The Musical delivers the energy for the audience to enjoy from the start, culminating in the iconic theme “Back in Time” at the curtain call. While our performance was filled with a couple of colloquialisms about Baltimore, it’s still the feel-good musical theatre that reminds us, “if you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” To me, the musical accomplished a lot, and I am ready to go back in time, once again.

Final Grade: A

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias to books to dictionaries to magazines. I’m also an avid television viewer, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD, earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked on red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my lifelong journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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