It might seem like I’m making excuses for a weak show in this review but I do think some times we have to accept entertainment for what it is and nothing more. Recently many people have bemoaned the presence of ‘amusement park musicals’ on Broadway- shows that aren’t high art or challenging but provide spectacle entertainment like an amusement park ride. Nowhere is that more true than with Back to the Future: the Musical but surprisingly I’m alright with that. I was alright with it in 2023 when I saw the show on Broadway and I’m alright with it in 2026 watching the national tour in Salt Lake at the Eccles. It’s a show I completely get the complaints but I can’t deny having a good time with it.

On one hand it does seem like a bit of a missed opportunity with this musical because they stuck slavishly close to the feature film not wanting to veer one iota even in costumes and hairstyles. On the other hand, that film is an all-timer so I get it and I enjoyed seeing it recreated on stage. Especially when that recreation is so big and bold with dazzling special effects. The spectacle entertainment is the reason to see this show and for the most part they brought that element successfully to the national tour (which was my greatest concern going into it.)

The set designer Tim Hatley deserves most of the credit for the show being as entertaining as it is with help of lighting designer Hugh Vanstone (although if you are sensitive to strobe lighting avoid this show as lightning is effectively recreated throughout.) The use of the video (Finn Ross video design) with the lighting makes for about as immersive an experience as you could get in the large Eccles theatre. The production is directed by John Rando and like I said it’s the technical pop and fizz that keep this show entertaining. Could they have done more to make it creative? Probably but I suppose when you have good bones sometimes that’s still enjoyable.

As far as the cast for the national tour it’s all fine although Lucas Hallauer didn’t have the youthful face and energy of Casey Likes who I saw on Broadway (although he arguably looks more like Michael J Fox than Likes did.) David Josefsberg is fun as Doc Brown but it’s Cartreze Tucker that steals the show as Goldie Wilson/Marvin Berry with arguably the only memorable song of the show with “Gotta Start Somewhere.” The only other song I might put up there is “Pretty Baby” which was sung with energy by Catherine Adeline as Lorraine.

The truth is I wonder if this should have been made into a musical at all? Why not just make it a stage event like Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. People are going to that show purely to see the spectacle and the characters they know from that franchise. There is no need for music in that show. The same is true here. It would be exactly the same with just “The Power of Love” and maybe “Johnny Be Good” and that’s it. Spectacle entertainment on stage for Back to the Future fans is all that’s needed and that’s what you get here. Also this show should absolutely not be 2 hours and 40 minutes. That is insane.

It might seem like I am damning with faint praise in this review, but I also can’t lie and say I didn’t have a good time watching this musical. The spectacle is that good. It’s that entertaining that I didn’t care the music is completely forgettable and the scenes are shot-for-shot recreations of the movie. It’s a big amusement park show and like I said sometimes that’s all I need. If that’s all you need than you’ll enjoy the experience. If you want more than give this one a pass and wait for a more ambitious show to come to town. I had a good time with this trip back in time. Back to the Future: the Musical is playing at Eccles until June 14th and tickets can be purchased here.

Back to the Future: the Musical features music by Alan Silvestri and lyrics by Glen Ballard with a book by Bob Gale based on the feature film with script by Gale and Robert Zemeckis. It first opened in the West End in 2022 and ran until this year and opened on Broadway in 2023 and played until 2025.

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