{"id":144852,"date":"2026-02-05T16:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/144852\/"},"modified":"2026-02-05T16:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T16:07:10","slug":"the-musical-at-broward-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/144852\/","title":{"rendered":"The Musical” at Broward Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cBack to the Future: The Musical\u201d is old school.<\/p>\n

Not every show needs to reinvent and revolutionize Broadway.<\/p>\n

Some musicals can just sit there, front row in the class, confident that they\u2019ve done their homework, know what they are doing, and just might school everyone before that bell rings.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the case with the national tour of this Great White Way take on the mega-hit film franchise that shot Michael J. Fox from small-screen to big-screen stardom starting back in 1985. How big was it? The movie had two sequels and spawned theme-park rides, video games and a TV cartoon series.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Broadway national tour<\/a> \u2014 playing at Fort Lauderdale\u2019s Broward Center for the Performing Arts through Sunday, Feb. 15 \u2014 is a fun show with an engaging cast and enough sci-fi-ish special effects to wow \u201cBack to the Future\u201d movie fans. (What do we call them: BTTFers? Martyans? The Doc Flock?)<\/p>\n

If the movie just didn\u2019t strike lightning for you, and you think the whole theatrical project is exploitive, then know this: The second act has a lot more electricity than the first, and it just might shift your opinion a little. Hang in there. As for the exploitive thing: We. Can\u2019t. Help. You.<\/p>\n

The narrative for this stage version is close to the plot of the movie, perhaps too much so. In 1985, Marty McFly (played by Lucas Hallauer<\/a>) is a skateboarding high schooler who is accidentally sent back to 1955 in a time machine \u2014 ensconced in a DeLorean sports car \u2014 by nutty off-the-books scientist Doc Brown (David Josefsberg<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Stuck in his hometown, but 30 years in the past, Marty must find a way to return to \u2026 um \u2026 his future. And if that weren\u2019t enough, he also has to make sure his teenage parents fall in love before his very existence evaporates, all in the same high school he was in before he got plucked to the past.<\/p>\n

\"Lucas<\/p>\n

McLeod9 Creative<\/p>\n

Lucas Hallauer (Marty McFly) and the Broadway touring company of “Back to the Future: The Musical.” (McLeod9 Creative\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n

The show has an original musical score sharing the spotlight with songs from the movie, including \u201cThe Power of Love,\u201d \u201cJohnny B. Goode\u201d and \u201cEarth Angel.\u201d Very few of the original tunes penetrate beyond the orchestra pit, but there is a patter to them \u2014 something akin to standouts in \u201cThe Music Man\u201d or \u201cThe Pirates of Penzance\u201d \u2014 that makes the music serviceable, even likable \u2026 at times.<\/p>\n

Exposition in 4\/4 time is fine if deftly deployed, but \u201cBack to the Future: The Musical\u201d needs a tune-up tightening. There are some (not all, mind you) secondary characters who have their own songs, and who just don\u2019t add much to the here and now, much less to the past or the future. (Side-eye to you, Biff the bully and Goldie the diner staffer.) And there are some oh-what-the-heck-let\u2019s-break-the-fourth-wall jokes that fall flat. All of that time might have been better used to give the story new twists unique to this project.<\/p>\n

Now, having said all that, it\u2019s imperative to also make clear: The cast is superb, possibly making the material better than it actually is. They toss off the comedy bits \u2014 think Sid Caesar, Jackie Gleason, Red Skelton, Milton Berle \u2014 like it\u2019s nothing. Loyal fans (Time Warpies? Back-ers? Outta-timers?) will be pleased that the comedy evokes the humor of the time periods.<\/p>\n

\"David<\/p>\n

Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade<\/p>\n

David Josefsberg (Doc Brown) in the Broadway tour of “Back to the Future: The Musical.” (Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n

So what if the show doesn\u2019t have an element it can call its own? This musical is doing something else, something more basic, something simpler that just might resonate with us right here, right now.<\/p>\n

Who hasn\u2019t dreamed of a do-over? Who hasn\u2019t yearned to revisit a cherished time? Who hasn\u2019t prayed for a fresh start?<\/p>\n

Right up to the end, after roughly 2 1\/2 hours plus a 15-minute intermission (and a don\u2019t-you-dare-miss encore), \u201cBack to the Future\u201d earns a standing ovation the old-fashioned way: By making us laugh and tap our feet.<\/p>\n

The class clown, the cool kid \u2014 there\u2019s always time for that.<\/p>\n

IF YOU GO<\/p>\n

WHAT: \u201cBack to the Future: The Musical\u201d<\/p>\n

WHEN: Through Sunday, Feb. 15<\/p>\n

WHERE: Broward Center for the Performing Arts, Au-Rene Theater,\u00a0 201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdale<\/p>\n

COST: $60.48-$196.18<\/p>\n

INFORMATION: 954-462-0222; browardcenter.org<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Lucas<\/p>\n

McLeod9 Creative<\/p>\n

\u00a0“Back to the Future: The Musical,” of course, has the infamous DeLorean time machine. (McLeod9 Creative\/Courtesy)
\n\"Lucas<\/p>\n

McLeod9 Creative<\/p>\n

Lucas Hallauer\u00a0 as Marty McFly in “Back to the Future: The Musical.” (McLeod9 Creative\/Courtesy)<\/p>\n

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