HARTFORD — “Great Scott!”
It is one of Dr. Emmett Brown’s popular phrases used in the cinematic classic “Back to the Future,” a phrase he would probably use today about the special effects required to bring “Back to the Future the Musical” to authenticity on stage.
Audiences will have the opportunity to see for themselves if it all works when the North American tour of “Back to the Future: The Musical” zooms its way into The Bushnell’s William H. Mortensen Hall from June 4-8.
“It will blow your mind to see how they pull off these incredibly challenging feats, it’s just breathtaking. I wondered myself when I first saw the show on Broadway how they would make these iconic scenes happen and feel real. We have everything to the full extent – car chases, the incredible clock tower sequence, and a real DeLorean ‘time machine’ car on stage. It’s all there,” said Zan Berube, who plays Lorraine Baines, a flirtatious 17-year-old high school student in 1955 who meets Marty McFly, who back in the future is her own 17-year-old son.
Berube — a singer, actor, dancer and model originally from Boston — noted producers sent her an audition for Lorraine Baines for the first national tour that would be hitting the road in June 2024.
“I auditioned for Lorraine and absolutely loved the character Lea Thompson created in the original movie. Lea is so iconic, so hilarious, so genuine, and so kind as a person. I really wanted to pay homage to the character she created, while also giving it a little of my own spin and keeping it fun and fresh for the stage,” she said.
“What I like about Lorraine is that she is incredibly curious and always wondering why, how, who, when. I think that is why she is so intrigued by meeting Marty, because he is like someone she has never met before in a town where he doesn’t fit in and yet is so cool. And that piques her curiosity,” Berube added.
The musical — which originated in London’s West End before moving to the Broadway stage in 2023 — is based on the first part of the movie trilogy when Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown. He accidentally changes the course of history and before returning to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.
The story is adapted for the stage by the movie’s creators, including Bob Gale who wrote the trilogy and director Robert Zemeckis. It is directed for the stage by the Tony Award-winning John Rando. “Back to the Future: The Musical” features original music by multi-Grammy winners Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, alongside hit songs from the movie, including “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel” and “Back in Time.”
Zan Berube, Burke Swanson and Caden Brauch appear in “Back to the Future: The Musical,” coming to The Bushnell in Hartford.Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Berube noted that she grew up watching all three “Back to the Future” movies.
“I remember going to the audition and when I got there having everything come flooding back to me… all those iconic scenes with the car, the plutonium, Doc, Marty, and traveling through time. But I had to go back to watch the movies for the little details to familiarize myself with them again. The movie is such a cult classic for so many people,” she said.
But what she couldn’t be familiar with at the time were the more than 20 additional tunes that were written for the new musical.
“Glen Ballard is an incredible artist who has created some fun music to add to Alan Silvestri’s score. Some pay homage to ’80s style music and some is new musical theater pop songs that work seamlessly together to help complement the original music,” she said noting her favorites include “Something About That Boy” which she sings about Marty, and “Gotta Start Somewhere,” sung by diner worker Goldie Wilson.
In addition to playing Lorraine Baines, Berube’s recent credits include starring as Anne Boleyn on the North American tour of “SIX.” She is a 2020 graduate of the University of Michigan, where she received her bachelor’s degree in musical theater.
Ticket holders are invited to a pre-show ’80s dance party and are encouraged to “bust out your raddest ’80’s gear and get ready to moonwalk back in time” — think leg warmers, parachute pants, scrunchies, and shoulder pads. The fun begins two hours before every performance with DJ B-EZ and DJ10Four providing the beats for the dance floor.
For showtimes, tickets priced from $43.50 to $203, and more information, visit bushnell.org.
