Musical Version of ‘Back to the Future’ Lands at Segerstrom Center December 26 – January 5

Few films have become as celebrated as “Back to the Future,” released in 1985—nearly four decades ago. The success of “Back to the Future” spawned two successful sequels.

For those living in the past, “Back to the Future” is about Marty McFly, a rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown. But before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.

“Back to the Future” the film starred Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown. The film grossed $360.6 million at the box office worldwide. The total box office for all three films in the “Back to the Future” franchise was $936.6 million (over $1.8 billion in today’s money).

Given the success of the “Back to the Future” films, it’s surprising that a musical version of the film was not created—except now it has.

Based on the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment film, “Back to the Future: The Musical” has a book by Bob Gale, new music and lyrics by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri and six-time Grammy Award-winning Glen Ballard, with additional songs from the film including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.”

Gale is the co-creator and co-writer of the “Back to the Future” film trilogy and Silvestri composed the iconic film score for all three movies.

The 2022 Olivier Award-winning Best New Musical, “Back to the Future: The Musical,” comes to Segerstrom Center just in time for the holidays December 26 to January 5.

This Broadway touring production launched in June 2024 at Playhouse Square in Cleveland, Ohio, and continues to destinations across North America. The tour began less than 12 months after the show’s Broadway opening on August 3, 2023, at the Winter Garden Theatre.

The show first opened in London on September 13, 2021, and has been seen by more than 800,000 people to date. The production won the Best New Musical Olivier Award as well as multiple WhatsOnStage Awards and a Broadway World Award for Best New Musical.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the musical version of “Back to the Future brings “All the magic from the screen to the stage.”

Bob Gale said, “To paraphrase Marty McFly, you guys are ready for this, and your kids are gonna love it (too)! If Bob Zemeckis and I time traveled back to 1980 and told our younger selves that the script they were struggling to write would become a Broadway musical 43 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.”

“Regardless of whether you’ve seen the original film, “Back to the Future: The Musical” with its outstanding performances and incredible stagecraft will delight and enthrall you, your kids, your parents, and everyone you know,” added Gale.

Lead Producer Colin Ingram said, “Following London and Broadway, we are delighted to take “Back to the Future: The Musical” on the road. We look forward to entertaining and thrilling audiences, who have cherished this story for decades, with the moving and spectacular musical version.”

Actress with Local Ties Featured in “Back to the Future: The Musical” Tour

Alyssa Carol of Dana Point attended Orange County School of the Arts for six years (7^th through 12^th grades) before enrolling in the University of Michigan’s Musical Theatre program. She graduated a semester early to accept a role in “Bad Cinderella” on Broadway.

Now she’s on tour in “Back to the Future” The Musical,” and is happy to be back home for the holidays.

“We were at The Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles for a month over Thanksgiving, and I got to go back to OCSA and talk to the kids in the musical theater department. I was in their position six years ago-it’s crazy how life can change in such a short time,” said Carol. “It feels very full circle. I used to see shows at Segerstrom Center and now I am going back as a different person.”

The “Back to the Future: The Musical” tour started earlier this year and has already traveled to numerous cities around the U.S. Carol said it’s a wonderful way to see the country and explore cities she might not have gone to visit on her own. However, it’s not a vacation—Carol’s day is planned around the show, which she performs eight times a week.

“Even my meals revolve around the show—breakfast at noon, dinner at 5 p.m., then a second dinner after the show. I also have to exercise a lot. I have 14 costume changes.”

Despite the different geographic locations, the reaction to the musical has been similar everywhere she’s traveled.

“The audience response has been epic,” she stated. “People come dressed in costumes. They are so excited because they are fans of the show and of the movie. I have never seen anything like it. People are on their feet by the end, clapping and singing along. It’s memories from people’s childhood. It’s exciting to see the parents who have grown up with the movie and now their kids are dressed up and the kids are excited for it. It spans generations.”

Tickets to Back to the Future start at $44.07. Visit www.SCFTA.org or call (714) 556-2787.