It’s time to slip on your self-lacing sneakers and grab your hoverboard – because the Sydney Lyric Theatre is set to host the Australian premiere of Back to the Future: The Musical in September next year. Yep, the phrase “everything old is new again” takes on a whole new meaning with this show based on the blockbuster movie from 1985 that spawned a franchise and a multi-generational obsession with modified DMC DeLorean vehicles. The story follows the adventures of high school student Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) and the eccentric scientist Dr. Emmett "Doc" Brown (Christopher Lloyd) as they time travel to different periods in history and Marty faces the critical paradoxical question of “Wait, am I my own grandfather!?”
Following award-winning seasons on Broadway and the West End, the creators of the original film trilogy, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, have teamed up with producers John Frost and Colin Ingram for the Aussie debut. Gale penned the book for the musical, which is paired with new music and lyrics by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri (who composed all three film scores) and six-time Grammy Award-winning Glen Ballard as well as iconic songs from the film including ‘The Power of Love’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’.
Back to the Future: The Musical joins a slew of major musicals coming to Australia in 2025, including other highly-anticipated stage adaptations like The Lord of the Rings - A Musical Tale which opens in Sydney, and Beetlejuice the Musical busting out in Melbourne.
While the critical reception for Back to the Future's theatrical spin has been mixed, you can’t argue with its popularity – it has been seen by nearly three-million people worldwide to date. It also broke box office records for London’s Adelphi Theatre when it opened, and the West End production is now in its fourth year – with an extended season now running through to mid-2025.
Bob Gale said in a statement: “To paraphrase Marty McFly, you guys *are* ready for this, and your kids are gonna love it (too)! If Bob Zemeckis and I time travelled back to 1980 and told our younger selves that the script they were struggling to write would become a West End and Broadway musical now making its way to Sydney, Australia, 45 years later, they’d kick us out of their office and call us crazy.”
“Well, sometimes, crazy ideas give birth to great entertainment, and now Bob and I are eager to share our musical vision with Sydney audiences. This musical production has exceeded our original expectations on every level. Regardless of whether you’ve seen the original film, Back to the Future: The Musical with its incredible stagecraft, will delight and enthral you, your kids, your parents, and everyone you know!”
The original production team is on board for the upcoming Australian production, and the cast is yet to be confirmed – so hit the pause button on your flux capacitor, and stay tuned for that. Meanwhile, you can join the waitlist for tickets at backtothefuturemusical.com.au.
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