Great Scott! The classic Back to the Future film starring Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson is getting the musical treatment, and it is currently showing in Los Angeles and coming soon to Costa Mesa, CA. Back to the Future: The Musical is a faithful adaptation that follows the adventures of Marty McFly, who ended up in the past in 1955 and has to go back to the future before he fades into oblivion.

The stage musical was able to bring the time-traveling DeLorean to life, and it’s one of many key components in delivering the magic to audiences nationwide. Caden Brauch and Don Stephenson star as Marty McFly and Doc Brown, respectively. The musical is based on the book by Bob Gale, the producer and co-writer of the original Back to the Future film.

On the opening night of the musical at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, Gale made an appearance along with the original cast and crew of the film including director Robert Zemeckis, composer Alan Silvestri, star Lea Thompson, and many more.

“We’ve had some great openings and stuff, but that was one of the most electric entrances out that door at the top of the show,” Brauch recalls to Nerd Reactor. “I mean, they were already cheering, I think, before I even walked out. So it was pretty great to walk out and hear all that cheering. And to just have to stop for a moment and breathe and take it all in, it was a wonderful time.”

“It’s one of the great entrances, right?” Stephenson said. “When you come on in a DeLorean time machine and then get out, I don’t think there’s anything better. Maybe Carol Channing coming down the staircase in Hello, Dolly.”

Gale thinks about what year he would like to travel back to if he had a time-traveling DeLorean.

“Well, my mom was a professional musician, and after World War Two, she had a nightclub act in St Louis called Maxine and her men,” the film producer said. “I would like to go back in time and catch her act.”

Back to the Future: The Musical is at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood until December 1, 2024. It will be headed to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa, CA from December 26, 2024, to January 6, 2025.

Featured image credit: Back to the Future (L to R) Don Stephenson (Doc Brown), Caden Brauch (Marty McFly) and Cast – Photos by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman, 2023