Theater

Back to the Future: The Musical finally sets 2020 world premiere

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Published on May 17, 2019 04:03PM EDT

Back-to-the-Future-Musical — Photo: Amblin/Twitter

Let's go back… back… back… to the year 2012, when Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis and co-screenwriter Bob Gale had plans for a musical based on their time-tripping 1985 movie. By 2014, the musical had a 2015 debut date, but that obviously didn't happen. Now, '80s-record-scratch-cut to the present, the production is actually moving forward… into the future! (Chalk it up to "The Power of Love"?)

Back to the Future: The Musical — from Zemeckis, Gale, original Back to the Future composer Alan Silvestri, and Grammy winner Glen Ballard (Broadway's Jagged Little Pill) — will now open at the Manchester Opera House in Manchester, England, with a 12-week-only engagement beginning Feb. 20, 2020. It will then move to London's West End.

According to the production, the stage adaptation "will send you on an electrifying ride through time with an all-new score alongside the movie's iconic hits, including 'The Power of Love,' 'Johnny B Goode,' 'Earth Angel,' and 'Back in Time'!"

As shown in the promo art for the musical, actor Olly Dobson, who appeared in West End productions of Matilda and Bat Out of Hell, takes over for Michael J. Fox in the role of Marty McFly, the teen who must ensure his parents get together after he tumbles back in time to their high school years by way of souped-up DeLorean. Per Playbill, Ballard and Silvestri wrote the score, while Gale penned the book.

"Bob Zemeckis and I have been trying to get this project off the ground for years, but good things take time and finally, the time is right," Gale said, as reported by Playbill. "Our cast is outstanding, the songs are fantastic, and director John Rando is doing an amazing job ensuring the show truly captures the magic of the movie. We're thrilled that we can retell our story on stage in a brand-new way, and we're certain that Back to the Future fans all over the world will share our enthusiasm. In the words of Marty McFly, 'your kids are gonna love it' — and so will you and your parents."

Tickets go on sale May 24, though sign-ups are available now for an exclusive priority-ticket presale that begins May 23.

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