“I’m going on an adventure!!”…

.. Surely meant something else, right?

What do “they” say about traveling?

·         “We're on a road to nowhere / Come on inside”. David Byrne / Tina Weymouth / Jerry Harrison / Chris Franz (Talking Heads). 1985. “Road To Nowhere”. “Little Creatures”. Sire Records / Wb Music Corp., Index Music Inc., Wc Music Corp., Index Music, Inc.

·         “All roads lead to Rome”. An 1175 proverb originally written by French theologian Alain de Lille. “Mille viae ducunt homines per saecula Romam”, or loosely translated, “A thousand roads lead people through the centuries to Rome”. See footnote for an article.

·         “Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”. Frost, Robert. 1915. “The Road Not Taken.”

·         “Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads”. Zemekis, Robert. 1985. Back To The Future. Universal Pictures.

What’s my point? I’m leading up to it.

Keep reading.

I needed to take a road from my house to the theater, in order to get myself in a seat and see a time traveling car go back to 1985 and then 1955. As it stands, there were references dating February 19, 2026 (current date and location). This non yellow brick road crazy was so I could see the Broadway production of “Back To The Future: The Musical”.

Am I making sense so far and are you with me?

Okay, moving on, let’s see where this takes us.

As mentioned, on February 19, 2026, I saw the Back To The Future musical at the local performance hall. It’s Broadway Series number three this year, for those keeping track. My mother and one of her friends had joined me on this venture and we were able to get some pretty decent seats, all the way in the back orchestra. I not only got to relive the sights and sounds of my early years, but my mom and her friend got to laugh and cry at what they remember from their early teen years.

The production wasn’t completely a full adaptation of the Robert Zemekis directed movie, but it was close enough. If I read some information correctly, Mr. Zemekis, Bob Gale and Alan Silvestri were the forces from the original move and they got together to create the musical.

The difference between this musical and the last one I saw (“& Juliet”), was that “Back To The Future” used slightly more dialogue between the characters, while the music helped push the scenes through. “& Juliet” relied heavily on conversational pop songs to help push the dialogue through in each scene. Meaning, there was enough liberty taken from the Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd movie, that the producers of the musical needed some filler. They didn’t rip the movie apart scene by scene, but you got the basic idea. They kept some pivotal points in the stage show, where they put a lot of trust in moving parts and the behind the scenes tech wizardry (like the ending - holy mother of all things AWESOME. #dead). However, the creative licensing and liberty took hold with some of the more elaborate science fiction (fictionalized) music numbers. There’s a scene where Doc is singing about being super excited for the twenty first century and this is done using things that shouldn’t have existed in any of the movie franchise timelines. I know there are conspiracies and conversations about the premise of each movie and how they linearly join together, but the musical doesn’t really adapt any of that. It’s like the musical took a snake from the three headed hydra and married it with one from Medusa’s head. There are too many story lines to follow, for sure, and at least at one point in the show that had a throwaway line about a possible fourth volume. This would align with the various theorems out there, for sure.

Okay, back on track (Hehe – “Back on track”). There are a lot of things happening here: technically, visually, and random. I think, forty years on, “we” (societal / general “we”) know enough about  the movie that it relies a lot on what could happen in the future for science and electronics, while whispering hints of things to come when being trapped in the past. Innovations in 1955 that no one had come up with, while things being too far out for what we’d think about in 1985. It’s The Jetsons in live forms under the assumption we might be on to something. Again, going back to the various fan fiction, there’s an entire spider’s web of brilliant minds working on connecting everything together. This musical does not touch upon the second and third movie, but again, somehow creates that in-world joke about a fourth event happening. Not that it ever would, but at least the crazy kids are being seen.

Enough with the spoilers; we must move on.

For as much as I’ve just written, those who haven’t seen the Broadway show yet, I want to make some advisement and let me be very clear: Due to the reliance of heavy audio, video and lighting mechanisms, this is not for the faint of heart. There are a lot of loud computer generated booming, video projection and strobe lights. The people who may have neurological problems (epilepsy, for example) may not benefit from seeing this show, as sorry as I am for saying that. It is seriously heavy handed on the white flashing LED and strobe lights. There are some flashing reds and blues utilized at different points in the show as well, even though it’s not at the same time. There are as many single deep blue flashes, as there are bright white and strobe flashes. If you’re familiar with the television show / movies “Star Trek” and “Star Wars”, you know that “deep space” “hyper speed” that the ships do? What’s referred to as “warp speed ahead”? This show also utilized that supersonic flying a couple times, to make a point in some of the scenes revolving Doc Brown and some epitome he has – this was during the twenty first century song excitement. Again, the show takes some creative liberties, including an aforementioned reference to “Star Wars”.

I don’t want to keep giving total spoilers, but I want to make it clear for readers who want to see this show and have any sort of photosensitivity, you may want to stay home for this one. Again, I’m sorry to tell you that, as I wish it were different. This is truly one of those shows that have so much of a sensory overload; it can be problematic for audience members who have specific challenges and needs.

Personally, I know I was having some issues in the beginning, as the show relies on the “deep blue lights”. Since I’ve been dealing with new contact lenses, getting my glasses fixed / adjusted as well as some other eyesight challenges, the blue light is affecting me differently. I’m perfectly fine, to an extent, with the white flash (not so much strobe) lights, but the blue is starting to do a number on me. I realized that during this past Christmas season with all the newer string lights. It’s not the best feeling, but it dissipates over time. This is why I feel I need to say something, a warning if you insist, that anyone who wants to see this show and has light problems, err on caution. Even my mother’s friend stated that some of the white strobe lights bothered her, and she usually has zero issues.

I’m going to post some pictures and a video of what the lighting looked like, at the beginning of the show and during intermission, since recording was strictly prohibited. Security was actively walking around to make sure no one had any type of device out during the entire 160 minutes.

Both the pictures and video has a projected image of the “Back To The Future: The Musical” logo, which then randomly flickers into computer glitching. The glitches then give an “error” code, listing how photography of any kind during the show is prohibited, but you can certainly take a photo of any image you currently see and tag the show before it starts. Once the show begins, phones must be off. Due to the use of the blue background on screen, plus the blue LEDs, it was hard to get my camera to focus on the “no phones allowed during show’ message. Try as I might, I had to raise the exposure really high in order to get a “clean” / “readable” photo.

From what I could tell, at this point and going forward, the crew was using a projector screen as their source of video manipulation, since I noticed an overhead projector a few rows in front of me. I did see in the back right hand corner, someone in a control booth. They had multiple screens up, and each screen had a different static image to shoot out onto the stage.

Everything is controlled by computers these days, no matter where you go and what you do, apparently. However, this is the first time in a while that I think the production company was using a fast fold screen for their visuals, rather than use a jumbotron. This was actually one of those musicals that needed the entire stage, so a television screen in the back would totally be in the way. It makes more sense to have a thin screen and throw an image on to it from an overhead projector.

I wish I had seen them put all of this together, so I would know for sure, but having been in the audio video field for a while and doing event setups, I’m sure that’s what was going on.

The video played, shows the glitching on the screen, which was more 1980s computer, DOS meets Word Perfect type of technology, that then meets the Matrix franchise bytes and bits downward spiral disjointedness. The beginning of the clip I took is what you actually heard while waiting: computer beeps and blips, electronic noises. The type of things old school techies associate with, while reminiscing about “the days of yore”. I would have left that original sound on for the duration of the video, but my mom and her friend were knee deep in conversation as well as the people around me having their own private discussions. I didn’t want to leave any of that in, considering it is tough enough to try to edit (blur) out faces. I didn’t even want to try that since my computer is old and I’m using an outdated version of Pinnacle. The software already has issues saving movies. Proof is in the end with that circled arrow. Lately, the program is having problems rendering the videos correctly so I’m stuck with that greyed out circle thing. It’s horrible and ugly, I know, but I also know I need to invest in better equipment. It’s no excuse, but eventually I’ll get an upgrade, I just don’t know when. The sound used for the rest of the video is the “Back To The Future Overture”.

Other than flashy lights and reliance on really solid video projecting, the music was brand new to the show, outside of the above instrumental “Back To The Future Overture” (I don’t know what else to call it besides the title track overture), Huey Lewis and the News anthems “Back In Time” and “Power Of Love”, The Penguins’ “Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)” and Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”. Those, of course, had to jump from the celluloid to the stage because they’re the songs we know and will know once we hear the opening seconds.

To be specific, “Power Of Love” was written for the movie, much like Cat Stevens wrote “If You Want To Sing Out, Sing Out” specifically for “Harold & Maude”. That movie uses all original songs from the man who would become Yusuf, but he did make it a point to add his own stuff to the film.

I do have to say, in regard to “we know the “Back To The Future Overture” like we know the “Imperial March” from “Empire Strikes Back”. Play the first couple seconds and it becomes “I can name that tune and its movie!”. We have gotten accustomed to the 1980s high energy Huey Lewis songs, and because “Back In Time” and “Power Of Love” were such big hits for the group, they were all over the radio. The latter still is; turn on any “classic rock” station and you’re bound to hear it. I think Chuck Berry’s song is so obscurely overused, you might not hear it as frequently now on the FM dial, so you’re better trying to listen for it on satellite stations. Same might be said for the Penguins, but maybe closer to a few late night AM stations, outside of specific theme “power hours” on the FM side, of course.

Quite honestly, I can picture that song being on a specific foreign station that I once picked up in my car and ended up listening to their nightly live stream for a while (online, of course). It was so random, as it was a glitch in the AM frequencies and it took me a full week to figure out it was a Canadian station. Turns out I caught what radio people call “the skip” and it took me about 9 years to utilize that term I learned in my freshman year radio class at college. See kids, pay attention to your learnings and you may end up surprising yourself!

If you’re still with me at this point and want to know more, like how the acting was, well, it was good. I feel that the only issues I would have, would be the way the writers turned Doc Brown into a slight weirdo. Not that he wasn’t a bit “off” in the movie, but that was all for science; this new version was a mad dash mix of science and sex. One of the first scenes / songs with Marty and Doc, there was a conversation between the two because Doc had his own little harem that came out to dance with him. It was questioned and he said he always seems to have the girls dance with him lately / when he breaks out in song. As the show moved on and taking more liberties, there was another point where the boys had a conversation and Doc says something sexual, but wasn’t outwardly commenting about it.

I’m trying not to create spoilers, but I need to in these instances, to get the point across. I’m sorry, but if you must know, you’ve got to be prepared. The innuendos weren’t bad, but it was weird how the character was rewritten. I don’t remember Christopher Lloyd taking it to the level of slight perv. Apologies again; this is totally the wrong form of language I’m trying to use. I remember the movies being more crazy scientist looking for alternative worlds, but I don’t remember there being a full “guy talk with gestures” conversation about the McFly parents needing to get together in order to keep Marty and his siblings from disappearing. I know there was a small discussion in the movie, but the musical elaborates more and does some gesturing. Doc Brown was explaining to Marty that in order to keep the 1985 timeline happening in 1955, Marty needs to get his parents to go on a date, get married and comingle. This was basic dialogue in the first film. In the stage version, they beefed it up a bit. They also had the actor over enunciate “gigawatts” so it became a grating version of the “1.21 gigawatts?!?!?!?!” scene.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m not a prude or anything; I just thought it was odd how they changed the character slightly. This also rang true to other instances like Einstein the dog being missing and the Libyans not killing Doc in the parking lot of the mall. He dies another way, which I’ll save to myself, as I’m giving everything completely away.

However, if I were to make a comparison, there were some big scenes from the movie that could have been added to the stage version, like how they kept some of the big musical numbers, but they seemingly didn’t elaborate on it in the dialogue (again, not creating spoilers, but it was one of the big things in the movie for the 1955 timeline and when they brought it to the musical, they left out the suggestion of that thing going global).

The actors looked like their film counterparts, for sure, even down to the exact clothing styles. With my poor eyesight, I still saw the white Nike sneakers with red swoosh on Marty’s feet and the details on the backdrops were amazing (albeit they were projected images, but still; they were crisp from the back of the orchestra).

Would I see this again? I think so, for a couple reasons:

• One, we walked out at “the end” when the cast came out to bow. We missed an encore of sorts, which became the actual final number song. It was one of the songs that transferred from the movie into the play.
  
  
• Two, I really enjoyed the technical stuff. The visuals were really amazing, both in set design and computer design. I wish I could have seen the build, tear down and the in-betweens because it was truly amazing. I didn’t like the blue light flashes, but I enjoyed everything else.

 

Why wouldn’t I see this again?

• One: The blue lights bothered me, plain and simple.
  
  
• Two: the weirdness of Doc in some scenes.
  
  
• Three: There were a slim handful of songs that felt like they didn’t belong in the show, which led to a couple scenes that really felt out of place for the overall time of the show. The scenes didn’t make sense, if only at that moment, for that character. It was a big stretch in belief, and the timing could have been used differently.

Overall, it was a good day out and I’m happy I got to see the show. I would suggest seeing it if you can, but still advise caution for those with sensory issues.

Until the next post comes out, go out on some neon leg warmers over your tights and leotard and jam out to some heavy music, dude.

Rock on, man!

 

Cheers;

 

See Also:

* Article regarding Alain de Lille: https://italianstudies.nd.edu/news-events/news/all-roads-lead-to-rome-new-acquisitions-relating-to-the-eternal-city/

* "Back To The Future" (the movie) via Amazon

* "Back To The Future: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack "via Amazon

* "Back To The Future: The Musical (Original Cast Recording)" via Amazon

* "Star Wars- The Imperial March (Darth Vader's Theme)" via Amazon

* "Star Wars Trilogy" via Amazon. Choose your own adventure on this one; they're costly.

* Basic "Star Trek" search via Amazon.

* Just for kicks: "Harold and Maude" movie, book (easy read!!) and soundtrack on vinyl (because it's hard to find the CD version).

* I used an iPhone 17 to capture the photos and video from the show.

* I used Photoshop to edit the stills

* I used an old version of Pinnacle to edit the videos. 

* Talking Heads, "Road To Nowhere" via Amazon

* One of many editions printed of Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken"