6900/19820
Fourth drive into London this week - why did we ever leave this convenient city? We were going to see the Back to the Future Musical with the kids and some of the family. Catie’s brother had bought tickets as a present for his BTTF loving sister. There is a picture of her at 10 holding the BTTF annual looking truly happy and I have dedicated my life, so far unsuccessfully to make her that happy again.
We were concerned as to whether Ernie could sit still for the entire length of this (quite long) show and whether he’d be a distraction to people sitting around us, but were lucky enough to be sitting behind a couple who actually turned round to say that he should let them know if they were in his way and who said they were ready for any antics. We told them they might regret that, but even when Ernie did a fart just before curtain up they remained in good spirits (the man actually high-fived Ernie for his stinky efforts). Early in the show Doc Brown said “crap” and Ernie turned to his mum and loudly asked “What does crap mean?” Once again he got a big laugh from the audience and the couple in the front would later declare it the highlight of the first half.
He was pretty well behaved throughout (he fell asleep for the last 30 minutes) and only caused a rumpus when he accidentally banged his mouth and cried.
The show was a lot of fun for the audience of fans and the kids liked it (apart from falling asleep), though Phoebe said that Matilda was still her favourite. She was correct to feel that. It’s hard to compete with Minchin for musical and lyrical genius and the music in this production is pretty forgettable. It put me in mind of the racist Star Trek musical Dazzle, that I had starred in at school. Not because it was racist, because it isn’t at all, but because it just seemed a bit school musical - but ironically the show was so technical that no school could ever put it on. The best songs were Johnny Be Good and the Power of Love, which just pointed up how the original songs weren’t as good as the ones in the film. I am not convinced that it’s a story that lends itself to having songs inserted. Catie pointed out that the original film is so tightly plotted and written that adding extra stuff feels unnecessary. We don’t need a song letting you know how a character is feeling because we already know.
The special effects were very good, with the car very much being the star and the packed theatre of film fans were very engaged and loved to hear the famous lines and were impressed by the spot on impression of Marty’s dad (who felt more like the hero of the piece than he does in the film) and maybe that’s enough. But it didn’t quite work for me, falling between two stools of being a faithful reproduction and being something different. The plot changes made, presumably because of staging difficulties and the need to include largely unnecessary songs, were a bit weird, but perhaps it would have been weirder if it changed nothing. There was a nice joke when dancers got caught up in the reality of the plot, but on the whole the jokes were broad or ones from the film and the plot changes brought about by limitations of staging and time jarred.
The time flew by though, like we’d travelled in time and if you threw yourself into it was fun. And the cast were exuberant and talented and throwing themselves into this harmless nonsense and your heart would have to be slightly dead not to forgive it its trespasses and say it was a fun afternoon off.
But my heart is slightly dead.
