Stars on Broadway take many forms. For years they\u2019ve been four-legged. First came the erotically-charged Nugget in Peter Shaffer\u2019s Equus; then Joey, the plow horse sold to the British cavalry during WW I in War Horse; any of the Veldt creatures in The Lion King; then the feral tiger Richard Parker sharing a lifeboat with Patel in Life of Pi; or Rosie the abused elephant who understands Polish in Water for Elephants.<\/p>\n
Now there\u2019s a new star in town, and it\u2019s as animated as any anthropomorphic puppet \u2013 a retrofitted, time-traveling DMC DeLorean. Yes, we\u2019re in Back to the Future-land, where both creator Doc Brown and his invention receive hearty entrance applause. The car definitely deserves it. It\u2019s a beaut. The show, however, needs an appointment at the auto body shop.<\/p>\n
Why, except for the fortune to be had, would a beloved movie, a fantastically successful cult classic (1985), be subjected to the Procrustean bed of Broadway? The musical is a weird hybrid of movie and theater. More movie than anything. Smothered under Alan Silvestri\u2019s iconic score and larded with superfluous songs by Silvestri and Glen Ballard, filler dance routines, and non-stop projections, Future is a screen-to-stage adaptation that is shamelessly Xeroxed. I\u2019m sure that\u2019s exactly what the producers were banking on. The multitudes who love the movie (and its two subsequent sequels) and can quote dialogue verbatim turn out in droves for the nostalgia.<\/p>\n
All the main plot points, even chunks of original dialogue are here in the flesh, live. But this adaptation by the film\u2019s writer Bob Gale is cheapened by old-fashioned Broadway shtick. The film\u2019s set in the \u201950s, but must the show be inspired by its ancient, worn-out gimmicks? Silly blue jokes and overly broad reactions and line readings are overwhelmed by the modern technical razzle-dazzle that is loud, blinding, and, yes, impressive in scope and scale. The movie has been superimposed on the stage. Why not just show the movie?<\/p>\n
But we\u2019ve come to see the DeLorean. And that does not disappoint. The theater wizards (set designer Tim Hatley, illusion designer David Chase, sound designer Garth Owen, video designer Finn Ross, lighting designers Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone) kick it up to 11. <\/p>\n
The car flies down the streets of Hill Valley, swerves at street corners, speeds along as the background blurs. Silvestri\u2019s underscore blasts, as do the flashing marquee lights around the proscenium while psychedelic patterns swirl like something out of 2001. It\u2019s visceral, for sure, you can feel the pulse of excitement in your chest. The sequence \u2013 what we\u2019ve been waiting for \u2013 gets its deserved ovation.<\/p>\n
Lukas Hallauer, as teen rocker Marty McFly, a.k.a. Michael J. Fox, has energy for days as he jumps off platforms, prances and wriggles like Jagger, and wails in a nasal head voice like the pop-star frontman of a boy band. His physical performance is infectious. David Josefsberg, as eccentric Doc Brown, a.k.a. Christopher Lloyd, plays it more like Beetlejuice than Lloyd\u2019s endearingly crazy inventor. It\u2019s difficult to put your own stamp on a character that has been indelibly etched in cinematic stone. <\/p>\n
Kathryn Adeline, as Lorraine, Marty\u2019s mother\u2019s young avatar, is hot to trot for this new boy in town, and her sweet\/sultry rendition of \u201cPretty Baby\u201d is one of the musical\u2019s highlights. She\u2019s charming. In a double role, Cartreze Tucker exudes stage presence as Goldie, the malt shop janitor who later becomes Hill Valley\u2019s future mayor, and a hot jazzy Marvin Berry at the prom. His energetic \u201cGotta Start Somewhere\u201d stops the show.<\/p>\n
Tony-winning director John Rando (Urinetown) knows how to move a show along, even when battling all those projected bells and whistles; and choreographer Chris Bailey knows all those \u201950s classic dance steps. But Silvestri and Ballard\u2019s songs are serviceable at best and slow down the show. Must every character sing? <\/p>\n
With all the melodic padding, Back to the Future, The Musical runs longer than the movie. When the most memorable songs are by \u201990s rocker Huey Lewis (\u201cThe Power of Love\u201d and \u201cBack in Time\u201d), Jesse Belvin\u2019s doo-wop classic \u201cEarth Angel,\u201d and Chuck Berry\u2019s electrifying \u201cJohnny B. Goode,\u201d there\u2019s trouble in paradise.<\/p>\n
If you love the iconic movie, you may find that the show plods instead of soars. But when that DeLorean appears with its neon details, that mesmerizing flux capacitor, and its 1.21 gigawatts of power, all bets are off. It\u2019s a star turn to rival anyone on stage.<\/p>\n
Back to the Future, The Musical continues through April 5 at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday and Sunday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. TUTS at the Hobby Center, 800 Bagby. For more information, call 713-558-8887 or visit tuts.org. $57-$122.<\/p>\n
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