Welcome to Hill Valley! Marty McFly is a rock 'n' roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-travelling 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. Based on the beloved film of the same name, Back to the Future is directed by John Rando. Set your destination time, New York and get ready to make musical theater history.
So, in summary: a gifted cast with thankless roles, a hokey book that takes no chances, and an abysmal score that drags everything down. All that’s left is spectacle. And let’s be honest; the car is the star. Designed by Tim Hatley, lit by Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone, and given bleeps, bloops and sonic booms by Gareth Owen, the automotive time machine zooms to 88 mph through elaborate video front and rear projections created by Finn Ross with “illusion” effects by Chris Fisher. Looks fairly cool the first time, somewhat lame the second. For an encore, hearkening back to 2005’s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the airborne contraption noses over the orchestra. Every generation gets the Broadway eye-candy it deserves: in the ’80s it was the chandelier; in the ’90s, the Circle of Life; in the early aughts a witch levitating on a broomstick. We get a 38-year-old gullwing DeLorean on a turntable.
Then there are shows like Back to the Future: The Musical, whose title is something of a misnomer: This adaptation of the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment hit about a teenager who finds himself bounced back from 1985 to 1955 is less a musical than a two-and-a-half-hour theme park ride with songs, offering as much sensory overload as an afternoon at Magic Kingdom. Indeed, the warnings that can accompany splashily high-tech productions, to pregnant women and theatergoers prone to migraines and seizures, should have been emblazoned on the playbill cover in this case. Strobe lights and other visual shenanigans, from Finn Ross’s dizzying video design to a flying car, are just the beginning; for me, the auditory assaults leveled by sound designer Gareth Owen (in conjunction with musical supervisor Nick Finlow and music director Ted Arthur, I assume) hit the hardest. Before the first act was even half over, I had crafted makeshift earplugs out of tissue paper, a trick I typically reserve for the loudest rock concerts.
Rush Tickets:
Price: $40
Where: Rush tickets will be available every day when the Winter Garden Theatre box office opens, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Limit: Two per customer.
Restrictions: Seat locations and the number of tickets available are subject to availability and determined at the discretion of the box office.
Digital Lottery:
Price: $45
Where: https://rush.telecharge.com/
When: The digital lottery opens at 12AM ET one day before the performance and winners are drawn at 10AM ET and 3PM ET that same day.
Limit: Two per customer
Information: Tickets are non-transferable and subject to availability.
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