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Back to the Future creator discusses stage version
The National Tour of the Broadway hit "Back to the Future: The Musical" opens at Atlanta's Fox Theatre tonight, with performances continuing through Sunday. The book for the musical was written by Bob Gale, who co-wrote the original films with director Robert Zemeckis, and then penned the film’s two successful sequels himself. Gale says revisiting the story for the stage allowed him to incorporate some exciting new elements, including beefing up the character of Goldie Wilson.
ATLANTA, Ga. - The Broadway hit "Back to the Future: The Musical" comes roaring into Atlanta’s Fox Theatre this week — and Bob Gale wants to make you a promise.
"I’ve had many people come up to me and say, ‘I was afraid to see this, because I was afraid it was going to somehow mess up my memories [from] childhood,’" he says. "That’s not going to happen. That’s not going to happen."
And Bob Gale would know. Gale co-wrote the original 1985 blockbuster "Back to the Future" with director Robert Zemeckis, and then penned the film’s two successful sequels himself. Decades later, he returned to the property to craft the book for the stage musical adaptation, which won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical in London in 2022 and opened on Broadway the following year.
"We were presented the [Olivier] award by the great actress Hannah Waddingham from ‘Ted Lasso,’" Gale recalls. "And she told me that she was a big fan of the movie. And I said, ‘Well, Hannah, have you seen the show?’ And she said, ‘No, I’ve been afraid to go see it.’ And I said, ‘Don’t be afraid. My involvement with it is so that people like you don’t have to be afraid. Please go see it. If for any reason you are not satisfied, you contact me and I will pay for your ticket.’ Well, she’s seen it three or four times now. So, there it is!"
Gale says the idea of a musical version wasn’t on the minds of anybody involved in the making of the original films — until, that is, recent advances in technology made it possible to faithfully bring the story to the stage. The writer says returning to the story also allowed him to beef up (not Biff up…) certain aspects of the story to which audiences seemed to respond most.
"There were certain things that we learned from the release of the movie that we took into consideration. For example, the character of Goldie Wilson, the janitor who becomes the mayor. Well, he’s on the screen for six or seven minutes. That’s it. But he made such a great impression, people just loved that character. So, in the musical, he has a full-blown number."
The show’s national tour opens at the iconic Fox Theatre tonight as part of the current Broadway in Atlanta season; performances continue through Sunday, September 28th. For information on showtimes and tickets, click here. And click the video player in this article to hear more of our exclusive interview with the legendary Bob Gale!
The Source: This is a FOX 5 Atlanta story. Good Day Atlanta's Paul Milliken interviewed Bob Gale, writer of the "Back to the Future" movies and the stage musical adaptation.