Back To The Future Concert Review

Kirsten Bradford
Music 8A Section H01
10/12/2023
Back to the Future: The Musical
Several years ago, I listened to a three-part series of The Soundtrack Show podcast with
David W. Collins, analyzing Alan Sylvestri’s score for Back to the Future. Part one was a
fascinating deep dive into Sylvestri’s iconic orchestrations for the movie. One thing Collins
pointed out was Sylvestri’s use of Lydian mode in the main theme to evoke the wonder and
mystery of traveling through time. Since listening to the series on Future, I’ve had a deep love of
the score and how Sylvestri used his theory knowledge to create magic in a movie that could
have easily gone awry without a masterful score. So, when a last-minute trip to see my brother
in Connecticut gave me the chance to attend my first Broadway show, I jumped at the chance to
see the brand new production of Back to the Future: The Musical. The show has a book by Bob
Gale and music and lyrics by Glen Ballard and the one and only Alan Sylvestri.
I attended Back to the Future: The Musical at the Winter Garden Theater on Broadway
on October 6th, 2023. As a musical theater nerd, it was a thrill just to be in the Winter Garden
Theater where so many of my musical heroes had performed. I was lucky enough to see Roger
Bart (Doc Brown) and Hugh Coles (George McFly) who originated the roles in the West End
production, as well as the fabulous Casey Likes (Marty McFly), Liana Hunt (Lorraine
Baines-McFly), along with standout Jelani Remy (Goldie Wilson/Marvin Berry). Ted Arthur led
the fantastic Outatime Orchestra. The show was a fascinating mix of new songs, Sylvestri’s
orchestrations from the movie, and the diegetic music in the original film.
The show started off in the style of traditional rock ‘n’ roll 1980s tunes. Uptempo rock
beats, electric guitar, and synthesizer filled the theater as the show opened, transporting us
back to 1985. Jennifer and Marty’s song “Wherever We’re Going” was your typical 1980s ballad.
It featured a strong beat, synthesizer, and minor key verses that transitioned into a harmonized
major key chorus, complete with dramatic key change and a repeat of the chorus to finish it out.
It perfectly captured the sometimes campy nature of 1980s ballads while still giving it the heart
of the original songs it emulated.
Once Doc Brown introduced the time-traveling Delorean, the Sylvestri score with that
Lydian mode theme kicked in with full orchestration, just as the special effects transported
Marty, and the audience, back to the 1950s. Once the show transitioned to the 1950s, so did all
the musical numbers sung by the characters living in that time period. Suddenly the
synthesizers and electric guitars disappeared, replaced by fuller orchestrations, brass, and tight
harmonies. The upbeat song, “Cake,” which the ensemble sang to introduce Marty to the 1950s,
featured female harmonies sung in a major key with close triads, conveying the over
exaggerated “perfection” of the 1950s. This was a wonderful contrast with the lyrics about the
benefits of cigarettes, asbestos, leaded gasoline, and the patriarchy, all which left Marty reeling.
As Marty’s adventure continued, the audience was introduced to his teenage mother,
Lorraine, who unfortunately falls madly in love with Marty. She sang a fantastic doo-wop number
to him called, “Pretty Baby.” This number planted us smack in the 1950s again, with tight
harmonies from the ensemble, and standard doo-wop chord progressions and back up vocals. I
was immediately reminded of “Earth Angel,” and I could hear the similarities in the doo-wop
style electric guitar arpeggios in the accompaniment.
Another song Lorraine performed was “Something About That Boy.” This piece started
as another up-tempo, major key number with more tight harmonies and soaring melody.
However, halfway through the song, Biff, the bully of the show, started singing. Immediately, the
song switched to the parallel minor, effectively conveying Biff’s villain status. The minor key
immediately told the audience that Biff’s character is unsettling and threatening, and that he was
going to cause major trouble for our characters.

At the climax of the show, the characters attend the Under the Sea dance, where Marty
must facilitate his parents falling in love with each other. The scene features a 1950s dance
band, just as it does the movie. The first song the band sang was a tune new to the musical,
“Deep Divin’”. Just like many tunes of the era, this song featured a 12-bar blues pattern, relying
heavily on the I, IV, and V chords. The same blues pattern was featured two songs later when
Marty sang “Johnny Be Good” (used as diegetic music in the movie) after saving his parents’
relationship. Both songs transported the audience into a 1950s high school dance by using an
original song in the same pattern as one from the actual era.
While most characters’ songs were written using the instruments, chord progressions,
tempos, and melodies traditional of their era, one clever exception to this was Doc’s character.
His songs never stuck with one particular time. While Marty almost always sang something in
the style of the 1980s, and the other characters sang in the style of the 1950s, Doc’s character
used both of these, plus a futuristic number called “The 21st Century”. He even sang with the
Sylvestri score at the climax of the iconic clock tower scene. I loved the usage of multiple styles
to convey his status as a man not constrained by time. He could be in any era he wanted to,
and the music emphasized this about his character.
At the finale of the show, the cast sang Huey Lewis and the News’s “Back in Time”. The
entire crowd was on their feet cheering, dancing, and clapping along to the beat. The music
from the movie is iconic and unforgettable, and the musical seamlessly incorporated those
songs, while adding more music to emphasize the eras in which the show’s action takes place.
Through the orchestrations and lyrics, the beloved characters were further developed and
brought to life in a new way. As we left the theater filled with the energy of the show, I was
reminded how music speaks to all of us and unites us. It is truly timeless — pun intended.

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Kirsten Bradford

Music 8A Section H01

Back to the Future: The Musical

of the original songs it emulated.

style electric guitar arpeggios in the accompaniment.

going to cause major trouble for our characters.

and the music emphasized this about his character.

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