Review: Back to the Future: The Musical - Time well spent or a waste of time?
Written by Matthew Dudley; Date seen: 7/3/25
It was a sunny Friday evening in March of 2025, when my girlfriend Chloe and I took a trip to the Adelphi Theatre in London, a birthday present from her to me, to see Back to the Future: The Musical and put simply, it did not disappoint.
This was the second time I had seen the show, the first being when it opened in Manchester back in 2020, which is something I do, and will continue to, brag about at every opportunity.
The film itself is my all-time favourite and so when the story was retold in a musical theatre fashion, and as a self-proclaimed ‘thespian’, my dreams came true.
However, this time, I went into the show with an idea of what would happen and the differences in storyline to fit today's world and to make it suitable for stage yet with all this knowledge behind me, I was as engrossed as ever in the show in front of me.
Music of the past or timeless classics?
The music in the film Back to the Future plays a key role, with anthems such as ‘Johnny B.Goode’ and ‘Power of Love’ coming to mind - and it is clear that the film had potential to be made into musical form.
The songs we all know and love remain in the show, with ‘Earth Angel’ and ‘Back in Time’ also making appearances alongside the aforementioned anthems.
However, I would have liked to see more from the original film, songs such as ‘Mister Sandman’ and ‘Time Bomb Town’ fell by the wayside in a line-up of music spanning 26 tracks.
In all honesty, none of the original songs from the show really stick with you, except maybe ‘Put Your Mind to It’.
This is an area which disappointed me slightly as new musicals of around the same age, ‘Six’ for example, reel you in with original music and tracks you can’t get out of your head. This one doesn’t.
To argue my own point, you don’t go to watch Back to the Future: The Musical for the new original music, you watch it for the storytelling and crescendo of action at the end of the show, which they executed brilliantly.
Were the props a ‘driving’ force?
An area which was absolutely exceptional was the props and set design, specifically the Delorean and their use of a gauze on the stage.
It allowed the audience to step beyond the realms of a theatre stage with their expert use of lighting to play a role in the continuation of the story.
Scenes such as Doc Brown comically running up the clock tower steps or the Delorean racing towards 88mph stick in my mind as expert uses of lighting and set.
[Spoiler alert]
The wow factor came at the very end of the show, which, after seeing it twice, I still cannot explain.
The Delorean car, with Marty and Doc inside, lifts from the stage and ‘flies’ out into the audience. It then turns in a complete circle, does a barrel roll and flies off into the stage before a blackout engulfs the audience. A true spectacle to end the show on.
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The power of performance
Marty McFly, played by Caden Brauch, executed his role brilliantly.
The ambitious, confident and loveable character was portrayed brilliantly, with a solid singing voice and fantastic stage presence.
The actor really embodied the character Marty - and this should come as no surprise as, before this show, he played Marty in the North America tour of the musical.
Doc Brown, played by Cory English, had new elements to his character which venture away from the film's depiction.
The genius who invented time travel has been made quite heavily more comedic in the stage show, with hip thrusts and childish reactions - the character was made to be more immature than the Doc Brown we know from the trilogy.
As a big fan of the film, this took some getting used to but the comic relief certainly played a part in the atmosphere of the theatre and I concede, it’s much more tricky to adapt a serious character to a stage show rather than an unserious one. So I'll let it slide.
Final act
Overall, the show is great fun, it’s a lighthearted take on the original film with a few adult innuendos chucked in for the grown-ups - but some childlike noises and facial expressions to entertain the whole family.
There are enough stunning visual effects to keep everyone engaged and the overture which plays throughout the show sends shivers down the spine.
I would highly recommend the show to theatre lovers and lovers of the film, and you can certainly take the whole family.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Now for the important facts nobody ever tells you in a review:
Tickets: Start from £19.95
Programme: £12
Bottle of 330ml beer = £7
The show is split into two sections of 75 and 60 minutes with a 30 (ish) minute interval in between.
The theatre has good leg room despite being slightly squeezed in on both sides, plus good visuals from everywhere.
We sat at the back of the stalls and could see 90% of the stage, not missing anything important.
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