The theater scene is a form of media I previously didn’t see myself becoming interested in or fascinated by. I’ve begn relflecting on my younger self more and more. Now, I’m starting to learn that my will to try new thing has been expanded.
Early high school RayTay would tell you that she thought anime was lame. She would also say that My Chemical Romance was “overrated.” Those opnions definitely changed over the years. Once I hit college, I started trying new things in search of having fun. These things included attending local comedy clubs and of course, musicals!
“Back to the Future: The Muscial” is the fifth show I’ve now seen at the San Diego Civic Theater. The greatest part about this show is its overall adaptation. The idea of creating forms of media in more than one way can make a concept work well. However, this can’t always be the case. An example of this can be seen from the quote, “The book is always better.” Sometimes certain storylines are only fitting in the forms of movies. Others can fit perfectly into books, or even a series on t.v. In regards to Back to the Future, the musical adaptation of the film was absolutely terrific.
The stage environments combined with screen visuals allowed for an immersive experience that made the whole setup look absolutely gorgeous. The sound design and music itself really felt like the audience was truly expereincing the film firsthand. The cast, costumes, and overall performances were beautifully done. This made for an absolutely wonderful take on the Back to the Future title. There was also an excellent amount of humor that made the show even more desireable to see.
“It Works!”
I don’t always prefer musical numbers in the media I’m consuming. This reason being because it can feel too excessive or forced during certain scenes. Musical numbers can be great to establish moods or environemnts. They can also add to character develop. However, breaking into song without any real build up can negatively impact the scene as a whole. This tends to feel like a focred reminder that the media is in fact, a musical.
With Back to the Future, this is not the case during any part of the show. The song numbers and perforances are charming, exciting, and make the entire show so much more fun. The ost for the musical will be linked below. My personal favorite is “It Works.”
I highly reccomend both the original film and its musical adaptation. Catch this show at 88 miles per hour!
