'Back to the Future' musical planned for London

Published January 31, 2014
Oscar-winner Zemeckis has directed all "Back to the Future" films, as well as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Forrest Gump," "The Polar Express" and "The Terminal."— File Photo
Oscar-winner Zemeckis has directed all "Back to the Future" films, as well as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Forrest Gump," "The Polar Express" and "The Terminal."— File Photo

NEW YORK: Director Robert Zemeckis is literally going back into the past for his next project — a stage musical of "Back to the Future."

Producers said Thursday night that a show adapted from the sci-fi comedy franchise starring Michael J. Fox will open in London's West End in 2015, the 30th anniversary of the film.

A Broadway run is a possibility if the new musical flies as well as the film's specially equipped DeLorean.

The new musical will have a book by Zemeckis, Bob Gale and Jamie Lloyd, and new music and lyrics by composer Alan Silvestri and songwriter and record producer Glen Ballard. Lloyd also will direct.

In the 1985 film, Marty McFly becomes a human guinea pig who travels back to his hometown in 1955.

Once there, he gets caught up in the soap opera lives of his own teenage parents, including his mom who develops a crush on her future son.

The film was written by Zemeckis and Gale and had plenty of music, including the Huey Lewis and the News theme tune "The Power of Love" and Marty McFly's futuristic rendition of "Johnny B. Goode."

The film, which co-starred Christopher Lloyd, Crispin Glover and Lea Thompson, was so successful that it spawned two more sequels, "Back to the Future Part II" in 1989 and "Back to the Future Part III" in 1990.

The new musical will join such recent Gen X screen-to-stage remakes as "Ghost," "Little Shop of Horrors," "Flashdance," "Dirty Dancing," "Big," "Legally Blonde," "The Wedding Singer," "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "Elf."

Oscar-winner Zemeckis has directed all "Back to the Future" films, as well as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Forrest Gump," "The Polar Express" and "The Terminal."

Silvestri has scored many of Zemeckis' films, including "Romancing the Stone," "Forrest Gump" and "Cast Away." Ballard, a six-time Grammy Award winner, co-wrote and produced "Jagged Little Pill" for Alanis Morissette and co-wrote the music for the stage musical adaptation of "Ghost."
Lloyd's credits include "Cyrano de Bergerac" on Broadway, "The Duchess of Malfi" at the Old Vic and "She Stoops to Conquer" at the National Theatre.

Gale, a frequent Zemeckis collaborator, has also written comic books, including issues of "Batman."

Set and costume designs will be by Soutra Gilmour, illusions by Paul Kieve, lighting design by Jon Clark, and musical supervision by Alan Williams.

Andrew Willis will be skateboard consultant.

The producers of the "Back to the Future" musical will include Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, Colin Ingram, Universal Stage Productions, Donovan Mannato and CJ.

Opinion

Editorial

Punishing evaders
02 May, 2024

Punishing evaders

THE FBR’s decision to block mobile phone connections of more than half a million individuals who did not file...
Engaging Riyadh
Updated 02 May, 2024

Engaging Riyadh

It must be stressed that to pull in maximum foreign investment, a climate of domestic political stability is crucial.
Freedom to question
02 May, 2024

Freedom to question

WITH frequently suspended freedoms, increasing violence and few to speak out for the oppressed, it is unlikely that...
Wheat protests
Updated 01 May, 2024

Wheat protests

The government should withdraw from the wheat trade gradually, replacing the existing market support mechanism with an effective new one over the next several years.
Polio drive
01 May, 2024

Polio drive

THE year’s fourth polio drive has kicked off across Pakistan, with the aim to immunise more than 24m children ...
Workers’ struggle
Updated 01 May, 2024

Workers’ struggle

Yet the struggle to secure a living wage — and decent working conditions — for the toiling masses must continue.