Sydney Reviews

Time travel has an extraordinary hold on the human race. Philosophers and mathematicians have argued over the science of time for millennia. Today, figures like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Brian Cox have the talent for explaining the complexities so that the rest of us can glimpse the edges of physics, and how we perceive and experience time. Beyond the science, time travel is woven deep into our culture through storytelling. The idea of righting wrongs, witnessing great events, reconnecting with lost loved ones, cashing in on a clever investment, or simply knowing what comes next has been fuelling science fiction for decades.

It’s no wonder, then, that one of the most iconic films of the 20th century was Back to the Future. The film where young Marty McFly and his brilliant but bonkers friend, Doc Brown discovered not just that time travel was possible, but that the consequences were hefty, if not downright hilarious. This story is for the first timers or those who can still remember going to Blockbuster to rent this movie out time and time again. 

Back to the Future: The Musical is its own kind of time machine. It straps you into the driver’s seat of the DeLorean and takes you back to when movies were cultural connective tissue. When you had to wait months for a release and then head to the actual cinema to see it. Or trek down to Blockbuster to hire the VHS so you could watch, and rewatch, your favourites. The nostalgia here is palpable. But there’s a risk, too. Everyone has their Back to the Future, the memory of when and where they first saw it. As an audience member, you want enough of the original to honour your own history, but not a carbon copy. After all, this isn’t the film. It’s something new.

Roger Bart, as Doc Brown, balances that tension like a master. He’s enough of the Doc Brown we already love that our hearts leap the moment he appears. But he also brings his own flux capacitor to the stage. Bart’s delivery is razor-sharp. His comic timing and vocal range create genuine hilarity, and he’s endlessly expressive. And when Doc acknowledges the chorus of dancers and singers who “appear on stage every time (he) starts to sing,” it feels like your own inner fan club leaping up to celebrate him.

As Marty McFly, Axle Duffy delivers a performance that feels lifted straight from Michael J. Fox’s original. His voice cracks with perfect comic timing in moments of disbelief, while that unmistakable red puffer vest seals the illusion. In his hands, Marty once again becomes the wide-eyed teenager stumbling through the chaos of time travel.

The McFlys as a family are wonderfully cast. Duffy’s Marty introduces us to them around the kitchen table, where they are grounded as a family but also distinct as individuals. First we meet George McFly, played by Ethan Jones, one of the world's most awkward characters. From his braying laugh to his gangly arms that seem to move to a rhythm only audible to the greater wax moth, whose hearing is the sharpest on the planet, Jones gives us everything we want from this man with not a shred of panache. Jones is great as this maladroit who spies on the girl he loves, and has to be taught by his son from the future to put his mind to it and be a man. 

Ashleigh Rubenach is brilliant as Lorraine Baines, Marty’s mother. The joy in her role is that her son travels back in time and when they meet, Lorraine is unaware of their relationship and she forms a crush on the boy. The results are hilarious. Rubenach plays the young love-struck teenager with raging hormones perfectly. She is sweet and veraciously horny and oblivious to her son's reticence of her advances. 

Other stand outs are Biff, played by Thomas McGuane, and Goldie Wilson/Marvin Berry, played by Javon King. Both these two had stage presence in abundance. Biff was the quintessential bully, his blond locks unmoving as he thundered around both timelines. Any chance of growth is held hostage by the weight of his own personality. King’s Marvin Berry begins as a humble waiter, a role that might seem lowly, yet his golden voice and radiant stage presence quickly convince us he is destined for bigger, bolder things. He becomes a crowd favourite, embodying a character who dreams of a brighter future, and knows exactly how to reach it.

The cast’s performances are truly worthy of praise, but the production itself is one of the best I have ever seen. John Rando’s vision for this stage adaptation was exceptional. He allowed no dilution and found inventive ways to bring the epic scope of the movie to the stage. The DeLorean was non-negotiable, and the joy of watching it hurtle down streets and fly through portals to other times was magical. The use of opaque screens allowed us to see Doc running up the staircase to the infamous clock scene, climbing over the clock face and risking his life to reconnect the cables. Rando’s uncompromising vision made this production one that will stand the test of time.

From the explosive start when Doc Brown's lab is ignited by Marty’s electric guitar to the moment the DeLorean flies over the crowd this musical is one that I would travel both back and forwards in time to see.

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