Great Scott! That's the only possible first reaction to the news of a Back to the Future musical, coming to the West End in 2015.
A second reaction might be 'they better not screw up one of the greatest stories of all time with stupid ditties'. Yet, when you think about it, the original movie was deeply anchored in music. The scenes with Marty skating through town to Huey Lewis and the News were much-imitated by schoolboys everywhere. Mr Sandman perfectly sets the scene on our hero's appearance in 1955. The beautiful, tear-jerking rendition of Earth Angel still has power. And, of course, there's that epic masterclass in rock-n-rollery in the shape of Johnny B Goode. The film's score wasn't half bad, either.
So, the show has promise. Even more so because the adaptation is being crafted by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, who co-wrote the original script, with Zemeckis also directing. Gale describes the new development as "true to the spirit of the film without being a slavish remake", and says it'll include both music from the film and new pieces by composer Alan Silvestri. No word on the cast yet, but Jamie Lloyd is set to direct.
The appearance of the musical in 2015 coincides with the year Marty, Jennifer and Doc travel forward to in Back to the Future Part II.
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