My disappointment in the musical version of “Back to the Future,” zooming through Chicago for the next three weeks, is rooted in what this show could have been. And that has nothing to do with the show’s signature DeLorean.
The justly beloved 1985 Robert Zemeckis movie, co-written with Bob Gale, is one of Hollywood’s greatest time-traveling stories — an accessible, emotionally resonant yarn with clear rules and a strong point of view. It’s both big fun to watch and an intellectually rigorous piece of storytelling that deftly explores the great paradox of this entire genre: how when someone goes back in time they inevitably impact what will follow. Instead of being tripped up by that, Zemeckis and Gale made it the heart of a story rooted not in spaceships and aliens but horny teenagers and high-school nerds. They dreamed up a mad scientist, an empowering message and an all-American narrative that aimed to rebuild a struggling middle-class household.
That story should have made a great musical: the rush of immortality and the saving of a broken family are the stock-in-trade of American musicals. But this show, which began in London and continues to play on Broadway, chose retro digital gimmickry over the heart and soul. Aside from the car, which does not impress in the touring production anywhere near as much as it does in the bigger Broadway show, the piece rushes through a lot of its plot, makes a bunch of weird detours and generally fails to build sufficient empathy for either Marty McFly (in this tour, Caden Brauch) or Doc Brown (Don Stephenson). Gale, who wrote the careening book of the musical, proved to be too attached to the source movie to embrace the potential theatrical opportunity presented by the chance to join with the composers Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard. And the show was not directed by John Rando in a way that allowed it to get beyond the gags and breathe and live truthfully in three dimensions.
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That was my view when I saw “Back to the Future: The Musical” on Broadway and nothing in the tour changed my mind, although I’ll stipulate that plenty of people Wednesday night at the Cadillac Palace Theatre appeared to be greatly enjoying the spectacle designed by Tim Hatley, even though the show had to pause at one point for technical issues. “Back to the Future” is family entertainment and good for older kids who’ve perhaps seen the movie (from before they were born) and now want to see it writ large, replete with a racing DeLorean through a digital landscape. And while the tour leads are perfectly fine, if nothing special (the same could be said of the score), there’s one really innovative new performance on display in this relatively new Equity tour, from Burke Swanson as George McFly.
Swanson is funny and warm and he builds Marty’s dad with palpable depth and empathy, never lapsing into a stereotype. It’s splendid work and really improves some of the scenes in this show. And a few of the young dancers are excellent, too.
Otherwise, though, “Back to the Future” remains, for me, a missed opportunity to make something beautifully theatrical.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
cjones5@chicagotribune.com
Review: “Back to the Future” (2.5 stars)
When: Through Sept. 1
Where: Cadillac Palace Theatre, W. Randolph St.
Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Tickets: $40-135 at www.broadwayinchicago.com
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