Back to the Future: The Musical is coming. According to Slash Film, original Back to the Future writers Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis are working with producer Colin Ingram to bring the musical to London’s West End. Alan Silvestri (who composed the music for the film) is signed on to write the music, with British theatre director Jamie Lloyd on board to helm the production. The musical is set to debut in London in 2015 to coincide with the film’s 30th anniversary, then hopefully hop over the pond for a U.S. version soon after. Here’s a statement from Bob Gale assuring fans that the musical will stay true to the original:
The Back to the Future Musical is a project that Bob Zemeckis and I have been exploring for almost ten years. We’re thrilled to be at last in partnership with a creative and producing team that will create a show that is true to the spirit of the film without being a slavish remake. Director Jamie Lloyd is full of passion, energy and imaginative ideas and we are overjoyed to have the film’s composer Alan Silvestri composing the music, with lyrics by Glen Ballard who has also collaborated with Zemeckis before on many projects. With all of us working together, we know the integrity of the material will be preserved in a production that will be a wonderful companion to the Trilogy. We intend to use music from the movie along with brand new songs to make a version of Back to the Future that is fresh, entertaining, and takes advantage of all the amazing things that can now be done on stage. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the film.
Director Jamie Lloyd went into further detail on the production, hinting at what sounds like an epic musical number involving skateboards:
Rather than attempt to recreate such an iconic movie on stage, we have assembled a brilliant artistic team to discover a unique theatrical language to take audiences on a journey through time in a vibrant, unexpected way. The production will include illusions, skateboarding and many other surprises that will capture the spirit of the film but freshly interpret it for a new audience. Steven Spielberg once described the film as a musical and whilst we are incorporating some of the original, exhilarating score and songs, Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard’s witty, infectious and heartfelt new songs are the perfect springboard to tell this uplifting story anew.
