The Power of Love (and Lightning): Back to the Future: The Musical Accelerates At Broward Center
- Joanie Cox Henry
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
By Joanie Cox Henry
There's a particular kind of magic that happens when a beloved film makes the leap to the stage. The national tour of Back to the Future: The Musical, currently electrifying audiences at Fort Lauderdale's Broward Center for the Performing Arts through February 15, achieves precisely this alchemy.
This production, with book by Bob Gale (co-writer of the original screenplay) and music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, finds its sweet spot by understanding a fundamental truth that theater isn't cinema with a proscenium arch. It's a living, breathing entity that demands its own rules of physics.
The Flux Capacitor of Stagecraft
From the moment the lights dim, it's clear we're strapped into our DeLorean's an headed straight back to 1985. The scenic design transforms Hill Valley into something simultaneously intimate and expansive, a town square that feels lived-in rather than merely referenced. When the Twin Pines Mall materializes, it's not just a set piece, it's a portal back to a simpler time when mixtapes were text messages and Spencer Gifts was the wildest store on earth.
And then there's that car. Without spoiling the technical wizardry at play, let's just say the DeLorean's stage entrance earns its gasps honestly. The effects team has clearly spent quality time with the space-time continuum, because what they've conjured feels genuinely impossible within the confines of a theater. I have been to hundreds of shows and never witnessed live special effects like this. My 11-year-old son Jack was in awe too. The clock tower climax alone is worth the price of admission, a master class in theatrical sleight-of-hand that would make Doc Brown himself scribble notes.
Great Scott! This Cast Delivers
Lucas Hallauer tackles Marty McFly with an intelligent performance that never feels like Michael J. Fox cosplay. He's captured the character's essential earnestness and resourcefulness while making the role his own—no small feat when you're stepping into such iconic sneakers. His comedic timing is razor-sharp, particularly in the fish-out-of-temporal-water moments when 1985 slang crashes against 1955 sensibilities.
David Josefsberg's Doc Brown is great fun. Yes, he's got the wild-eyed intensity and the manic energy, but he's also found the character's beating heart—the lonely genius who finds unexpected friendship with a teenager. The Doc/Marty dynamic crackles with genuine affection, and Josefsberg navigates the character's exposition-heavy dialogue (explaining time travel is no picnic) with such verve that you're hanging on every word about gigawatts and temporal paradoxes.
The supporting ensemble deserves its own standing ovation. Cartreeze Tucker is perfection as Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry.
The choreography also showcases their talents beautifully, particularly during the "Under the Sea" dance sequence that pulses with period-perfect energy.
The Sound and the Fury (and the Feeling)
The score is an interesting hybrid creature. Silvestri and Ballard have wisely interwoven the film's iconic needle-drops "The Power of Love," "Johnny B. Goode," "Earth Angel" with original compositions. When the score clicks, it soars. There's a genuine Broadway-caliber ballad in the second act that catches you completely off-guard with its emotional heft. The live band members totally crushed it.
The sound design deserves special mention. The way the DeLorean's temporal displacement echoes through the theater, the crackling of 1.21 gigawatts, the period-specific sonic textures, it's all meticulously crafted to enhance rather than overwhelm.
The Verdict from 88 Miles Per Hour
Back to the Future: The Musical succeeds because it respects its audience enough to offer both comfort food and genuine surprise. It's a night at the theater that delivers exactly what it promises including laughs, thrills, a dose of nostalgia, and some legitimately stunning stagecraft while occasionally transcending those expectations to deliver something that feels immediate and alive.
As Doc Brown might say: "If you're gonna build a time machine into a Broadway musical, why not do it with some style?" This production has style to spare, heart to match, and enough theatrical firepower to generate 1.21 gigawatts of pure entertainment.
See it. You won't regret it. And yes, the encore is mandatory. Don't you dare leave early or you'll miss some rockin' tunes.
We also have the pleasure of seeing this with out beloved friends Rod Hagwood and Gary Lodge in the audience! Here is a link to Rod's riveting review of this show.
Back to the Future: The Musical runs through February 15, 2026 at Au-Rene Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts201 SW Fifth Ave., Fort Lauderdalebrowardcenter.org
Here are some snapshots of our opening night adventure on February 3!
