Everything you need to know about ‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ in the West End

From how to get Back to the Future: The Musical tickets to when to see the show, here’s your ultimate guide to Back to the Future: The Musical.

Feel the power of love in the West End at Back to the Future: The Musical. The 1985 film transformed the future of sci-fi storytelling, thanks to its radical time-travelling plot and its ability to blend real life with fantasy. Now, West End theatre enters new dimensions with Back to the Future.

Like the film, the musical follows Marty McFly, an intrepid teenager who accidentally finds himself moving from 1985 to 1955 thanks to a time-travelling DeLorean. There’s only one way for Marty McFly to get back to the future — and the real world — and that’s to make sure his parents fall in love. Back to the Future: The Musical West End talks began as early as 2015, and now the musical is playing at the Adelphi Theatre.

Here’s your ultimate guide to Back to the Future: The Musical in London. Book Back to the Future: The Musical tickets on London Theatre.

What is Back to the Future: The Musical about?

The Back to the Future musical story centres on high schooler Marty McFly. He's living in 1985, and when he's not at school, all he wants to do is ride around town on his skateboard. Not everyone is quite as laidback as Marty, especially the experimental scientist Emmett Brown who lives on the edge of town. One evening, Marty checks out what happens at Emmett Brown's lab, and he sees a DeLorean. What good is a DeLorean in a laboratory? All answers are found when Dr. Emmett Brown and Marty McFly go back in time, landing in 1955.

Once Marty and Emmett open the car doors, they're in a new era. What are teenagers? What's rock and roll music? What are Calvin Kleins? While in 1955, Marty must blend the past, present, and future to help his high school-aged parents fall in love again. It's easier said than done though, and meddling with time has life-changing consequences.

Where is Back to the Future: The Musical playing?

Back to the Future: The Musical is at the Adelphi Theatre. The Adelphi Theatre is located on the Strand, close to the Vaudeville Theatre and the Savoy Theatre. Previous musicals at the Adelphi Theatre include Waitress, Kinky Boots and Made in Dagenham. Back to the Future: The Musical opened at the Adelphi Theatre in 2021.

How long is Back to the Future: The Musical?

Back to the Future: The Musical has a running time of 2 hours and 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval. Typically, evening performances of Back to the Future: The Musical run from 7:30pm to 10:10pm, and matinee performances run from 2:30pm to 6:10pm.

What days is Back to the Future: The Musical playing?

Back to the Future: The Musical plays eight performances a week at the Adelphi Theatre. Evening performances are on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and matinee performances are on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. For the complete performance schedule and show times, please visit the Back to the Future: The Musical page to learn more.

When did Back to the Future: The Musical premiere?

The initial idea for Back to the Future: The Musical came in 2005, after film creator Robert Zemeckis’ wife asked Zemeckis if the original film could ever be on stage. The musical was due to open in 2015; a symbol of when the characters travel forward in time in the Back to the Future: Part II film. However, the musical was pushed back a few years later and finally opened at Manchester Opera House in 2020.

Back to the Future: The Musical began previews at Manchester Opera House on 20 Feb. 2020, ahead of an opening night on 11 Mar. 2020. Five days later, the show stopped due to the pandemic. Back to the Future: The Musical then came to London’s Adelphi Theatre from 13 Sept. 2021, where it still runs today.

Who wrote Back to the Future: The Musical?

Back to the Future: The Musical features a book by the original film creators, Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. The pair first met while studying at University of Southern California. Together, their most-known work is the 1985 film, Back to the Future. Zemeckis’ other films include The Walk, The Polar Express and Welcome to Marwen (as director, writer and producer.) Meanwhile, Bob Gale’s major work is the Back to the Future trilogy.

Alan Silvestri created the Back to the Future: The Musical music. During his wide-ranging career, Silvestri's musical credits include Grammy-winning music for The Polar Express and Cast Away. Recently, you'll hear Silvestri's creations in Avengers: Endgame and The Witches.

Glen Ballard created the Back to the Future: The Musical lyrics. Previously, he’d worked on Ghost the Musical in the West End. However, he’s also assisted a number of popstars with albums, including Alanis Morrisette’s “Jagged Little Pill”, now adapted into a musical and opening in the West End in 2022.

Back to the Future: The Musical Characters

Characters from Back to the Future film appear in the musical adaptation. Read on to find out more about the main characters you will see on stage in Back to the Future: The Musical in London.

Marty McFly: Marty McFly is an American teenager who grows up in Hill Valley, California. He’s one of three siblings, living with his brother Dave and his sister Linda. At the age of 14, Marty snuck into Doc Brown’s laboratory to find out what he was creating. While meeting him, Marty learned about the DeLorean’s ability to be a time-travelling machine and the rest is history. In the real world, Marty has a crush on fellow schoolkid Jennifer Parker.

Emmett Brown: Emmett Brown is often called “Doc Brown”, or “Doc”, in honour of being a scientist. The mad professor invents a time machine in Back to the Future: The Musical, built out of a DeLorean car. However, as the story progresses, Emmett longs for companionship. He’s hoping that being friends with Marty McFly can help him.

There’s many other characters to look out for in Back to the Future: The Musical. See Marty McFly’s parents, George McFly and Lorraine Baines-McFly find each other in 1955 and eventually stay together. But it's not easy growing up in 1955, and George's high school bully Biff appears in Back to the Future: The Musical too. There’s also appearances from Marty’s siblings, Dave and Linda, Marty’s 1985 girlfriend, Jennifer Parker, and the Hill Valley mayor, Goldie Wilson. If you have a favourite character in the Back to the Future films, chances are they'll appear in the stage version too.

Who stars in Back to the Future: The Musical?

Ben Joyce plays Marty McFly in Back to the Future and Cory English stars as Doc Brown. Amber Davies plays Lorraine Baines, joined by Oliver Nicholas as George McFly, Jordan Benjamin as Goldie Wilson, Harry Jobson as Biff Tannen, Sophie Naglik as Jennifer Parker and Gary Trainor as Principal Strickland.

The ensemble includes Amy Barker, Simeon Beckett, Sia Dauda, Tyler Davis, Glen Facey, Dylan Gordon-Jones, Will Haswell, Emma Lloyd, Adam Margilewski, Cameron McAllister, Alessia McDermott, Bryan Mottram, Anna Murray, Laura Mullowney, Jon Reynolds, Melissa Rose, Georgia Tapp, Justin Thomas, Charley Warburton and Tavio Wright.

Back to the Future: The Musical Songs

Back to the Future: The Musical features the hit songs from the 1985 movie, as well as many original songs. The Back to the Future: The Musical cast album was released on 11 Mar. 2022, and you can listen to the Back to the Future: The Musical album here. Check out all the songs in Back to the Future: The Musical below, and rediscover old favourites again.

Act One

"It's Only a Matter of Time" - Marty McFly
"Got No Future" - Marty
"Wherever We're Going" - Marty and Jennifer Parker
"Hello – Is Anybody Home?" - Marty, Lorraine McFly, George McFly, Dave McFly, and Linda McFly
"It Works" - "Doc" Emmett Brown, and Company
"Cake" - Marty, Gerald Strickland, and Company
"Got No Future (Reprise)" - Marty
"Gotta Start Somewhere" - Goldie Wilson
"My Myopia" - George
"Pretty Baby" - Lorraine and Girls
"Future Boy" - Marty and Doc
"Hill Valley High School Fight Song" - Company
"Something About That Boy" - Lorraine, Biff Tannen, and Company

Act Two

"21st Century" - Doc
"Something About That Boy (Reprise)" - Lorraine and Biff
"Put Your Mind to It" - Marty and George
"For the Dreamers" - Doc
"Teach Him a Lesson" - Biff
"It's Only a Matter of Time (Reprise)" - Marty
"Deep Divin'" - Marvin Berry
"Pretty Baby (Reprise)" - Lorraine, Linda, and Jennifer
"Earth Angel" - Marvin, George, and Lorraine
"Johnny B. Goode" - Marty
"For the Dreamers (Reprise)" - Doc
"The Power of Love" - Marty
"Doc Returns/Finale" - Company
"Back in Time" - Marty and Doc

What awards has Back to the Future: The Musical won?

Back to the Future: The Musical received seven Olivier nominations and won Best New Musical. Find out all the Olivier accolades for Back to the Future: The Musical below, with winning categories in bold.

Olivier Awards
Best New Musical
Best Actor in a Musical - Olly Dobson
Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Hugh Coles
Best Set Design - Tim Hatley and Finn Ross
Best Lighting Design - Tim Lutkin
Best Sound Design - Gareth Owen
Best Original Score or New Orchestrations - Alan Silvestri, Glen Ballard, Ethan Popp, and Bryan Crook

Celebrities who have performed in Back to the Future: The Musical

Back to the Future: The Musical features an exciting cast who all star throughout the show. Check out the celebrities who star in Back to the Future: The Musical in the West End.

Roger Bart: The Tony-nominated actor originates the role of Doc Brown in Back to the Future: The Musical, making his West End debut. Bart is perhaps best known for voicing Hercules in the Disney animation, and singing “Go the Distance.” Bart is also a Broadway actor: He has starred in The Producers, Young Frankenstein, and Disaster! Thankfully, his performances are anything but a disaster, and you need to see him in London.

Fun facts about Back to the Future: The Musical

Back to the Future: The Musical combines the best of musical theatre and the crazy sci-fi film world, all rolled into one. Find out unbelievable facts about the Back to the Future film and musical below.

• Back to the Future really impressed audiences at the movies, so much so that audiences went time and time again. The Back to the Future film was the highest-grossing film of 1985, and is one of the best-selling sci-fi films of all time.
• Everybody loves the Back to the Future time-travelling machine, the DeLorean. However, it was nearly a refrigerator. Yes, to get back in time, Marty McFly and Doc Brown would have stepped inside a fridge to go back in time. A DeLorean is definitely a cooler way to go back in time.
• It takes a long time to put a musical together, and for Back to the Future: The Musical, it took over 15 years. In a New York Times article, Robert Zemeckis’ wife asked if Back to the Future would ever be on stage, and so the idea was born.

How to get Back to the Future: The Musical tickets

Back to the Future: The Musical is one of the West End’s most-popular musicals, and it’s transforming the West End. Book Back to the Future: The Musical tickets today to avoid missing out on this hit musical.

Back to the Future: The Musical tickets are available now. Book tickets to Back to the Future: The Musical on London Theatre today.