Back to the Future Bombs
A national tour of Back to the Future the Musical has been cancelled and the season curtailed in Sydney after bombing out at the box office. David Spicer reports and flashes back to his interviews with one of the creators and the original Broadway star who plays Doc.
Producer John Frost is stunned - announcing last week that the national tour of the Broadway musical, which received favourable reviews, is being axed. The season planned for the Sydney Lyric, originally scheduled to go until March, will end on January 25.
At many performances the 2000 seat venue has been less than a quarter full.
John Frost told the Daily Telegraph: “You have to believe in the future or you wouldn't do anything but I haven't seen it this bad in my whole career,
“I have had a few big flops before. But this has the potential to lose enormous amounts of money and put a lot of people out of work," he said.
Why did it flop? Leave your comments on our Facebook page here.
Was it the lack of a local star? Was the movie too long in the tooth? Did the marriage of the film into a musical not quite work? In my immediate circle I noticed that my brother and brother-in-law who buy tickets to the theatre once in a decade both stumped up the cash to attend.
Perhaps that is it - the show appeals to a demographic who don't go to the theatre much - middle aged men. Perhaps shows need to appeal to middle aged women to be a commercial success.
Anyway here is a flashback to our lead story from the current print edition of Stage Whispers.
Back in 1980, script writer Bob Gale was visiting his parents when he found his father’s high school yearbook.
“When I saw that he had been president of his graduating class, I wondered if he had been like the president of my class (whom I didn't like), and if I would have been friends with him had we been classmates,” says Gale.
Everything sprang from that simple idea, but movie producers were not impressed. The script was rejected 40 times.
“Historically, time travel movies did not make money, so that was a reason we were frequently given when companies passed on the project.”
Then his fortune changed. The film’s prospective director Bob Zemeckis had a hit with Romancing the Stone.
“We decided to go back to our friend Steven Spielberg, who had just set up his new company, Amblin Entertainment, at Universal. The rest, as they say, is history.”
That history includes a legendary movie casting swap.
“We shot 29 days with Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly. He did not have the humour we were looking for, so we replaced him with Michael J. Fox, who was our original first choice but was unavailable due to his television series Family Ties.
“When we managed to get Michael, we had to accommodate his TV schedule, so for a large part of filming, we only had him for 6 or 7 hours a day. Had we not replaced Eric with Michael, I don't believe the movie would have been such a big hit.”
As challenging as making the film was, Gale says translating it into a musical was even more challenging, which is why he and Zemeckis were involved in it every step of the way.
“It took us longer to bring the musical to the stage than it took to make all three movies! We had no idea how the illusions of the DeLorean and the clock tower sequence could be created, but we knew both of those were key elements which had to be part of the show.”
Gale says diehard fans have been pleased at how the creative team met the challenge.
“I've heard from many fans who expressed trepidation about seeing it as a musical, but when they leave the theatre, they're euphoric that we successfully captured the true spirit of the film, exceeding all of their expectations.”
Last year I enjoyed seeing to see the musical on Broadway and for me the highlight was the final scene. The production itself shoehorns in chorus numbers where they are not needed for the story but are expected in a big flashy Broadway musical.
To some the car is the star. A combination of dizzying lighting effects, a rich soundscape and a sports car which flies give theatre goers bang for their buck.
The DMC DeLorean model is a real thing, which was around briefly at the time the movie was made. The rear-engine, two-seat sports car was built for the American market from 1981 until 1983 — before the company went broke.
“Originally, the time machine was built into a refrigerator which Doc had to transport on a truck. Bob Zemeckis thought of the DeLorean because of the car manufacturer John DeLorean’s criminal trial in 1984. The man and his car were in the news constantly, and we liked the notoriety ... plus the gull wing doors. We did not seriously consider any other.”
The vehicle is now a collector’s item. A souped-up version will be on display in front of the theatre.
Does Gale own one?
“No, and having made three movies with a DeLorean, it is definitely not something on my bucket list! I'm quite content to ride in the DeLoreans of our fans!”
There are an estimated six thousand left, and to buy one from the US costs around $70,000 US – plus the 33 percent import duty. That’s the low down from retired Sydney theatre producer Wayne Jelly, who is one of the 100 or so owners of the model in Australia.
What they are like?
“It’s difficult to start and mechanically is not a great car. The Volvo-Peugot-Renault motor always has problems. Mechanics love them.
“It’s extremely low and hard to look out of because the rear vision mirror is tiny.”
Adding to the difficulty, Jelly’s DeLorean attracts crowds when it’s out on the road.
“People are looking at you and chasing you.”
“It is fun. People hang out of cars with their phone. Kids want to sit in it.”
The Australian premiere has a Tony Award winning actor in the lead role of the scientist, Doc Brown. Roger Bart originated the role on Broadway, and in the West End. He was nominated for a Tony for this part after previously winning one for You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.
He told me that the stage DeLorean is a remarkable machine.
“Audiences are always completely blown away by what she can do on stage. Some critics have even said she steals the show! And with the exception of that one time in London when her right front hubcap came off, she’s incredibly consistent.”
I asked Roger what he would do if he could jump into a time machine and meet himself again in the 1980s. At the time Bart was a waiter, and a friend of Jonathan Larson, the creator of Rent (he had a cameo in the movie Tick, Tick… Boom! and the role of Roger in Rent was named after him).
“To quote Doc Brown, ‘no one should know too much about their own destiny … if I know too much, I could endanger my own existence!’ So, I’m not sure I would say anything - except perhaps maybe - try a little less vermouth when making martinis for the restaurant patrons.”
What about if he could meet someone else by going back in time?
“If I could go back in time, I think I would’ve really enjoyed meeting and getting to know my Great Uncle Murray, who coincidentally toured Australia as a vaudevillian under the stage name Jack Murray. He was on the same bill with George Burns and Gracie “Lambchops” Allen. It would’ve been amazing to hear of his travels and escapades.”
Now that he’s in Australia for his own escapade, what is about the role of Doc that he loves?
“The musical is special because it sits so sweetly in two worlds - one being a traditional old-fashioned love-story musical and the other - a fantastical Sci-Fi thriller using the most advanced technology live theatre has to offer.
“At times it feels so immersive it’s like you’re on a very high-tech ride in a theme park. And on top of that, it’s incredibly nostalgic for those who remember seeing the movie the first time and who now have the chance to re-experience it … and in many cases - bringing their kids with them and watching them fall in love with it the same way they did.”
Does he have a knack for invention like Doc?
“Beyond the occasional crude invention of an object capable of retrieving something that fell behind the stove, I do enjoy inventing comedic bits in the rehearsal room. Many attempts and many failures for sure. But when they work - oh what joy.”
Bart says the movie ‘easily and effortlessly’ translates into a musical.
“Firstly, there already are incredible songs in the movie, serving both as underscoring (‘Back In Time’, ‘Power Of Love’), and also classic songs performed by characters in the film (‘Earth Angel’, ‘Johnny B. Goode’).
“Additionally, our hero, Marty McFly is a musician/guitarist with dreams of becoming a rock 'n roll star. This makes music a very important element in the story. And lastly, BTTF provides the unique opportunity for our brilliant composers, Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard with stylings by Nick Finlow - to write songs that perfectly suit two distinct eras in music - the 1950s and the 1980s.
“All of these qualities, along with the story’s huge heart and at times dire circumstances for its characters, make a world that feels perfectly appropriate for the folks in Hill Valley to often burst into song.”
Is there a favourite lyric or line in the musical that he never tires of saying every night?
"You made a real difference in my life."
The 1980s is a very popular decade culturally. What aspects of the style of the decade does Bart like and loathe?
“I sometimes miss my Flock of Seagulls hairdo. It was a real chick magnet - mostly seagull chicks.”
Back to the Future the Musical closes at the Sydney Lyric on January 25. Buy tickets here.
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