While many of Empire**’s top 25 greatest films would make excellent stage productions – and in a way, Rushmore’s Max Fischer has already done Apocalypse Now – currently only Back To The Future is actually making the journey. Bob Gale, co-writer of the greatest of all teen time-travel adventures, spoke to Empire about the stage extravaganza that was announced last month.
“Sometimes you have an idea and 24 hours later you go, ‘What was I thinking?’, Gale say of the genesis of the show. “This wasn’t one.”
Gale and Zemeckis are currently steaming ahead with an adaptation that ramps up our 2015 excitement levels – already pretty silly – to just plain daft. Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard are penning the tunes for the Universal Stage Productions production.
“Bob [Zemeckis] and I have always said that we’ll never do a part four, we’ll never authorise a remake, we were always protective of the franchise,” Gale tells Empire, explaining that the storyline will mostly mirror the first film. “You just have to think about what’s going to work on stage. There are certain jokes that are obviously not going to – for example, the jokes at the dinner table when they’re watching The Jackie Gleason Show on TV.”
The show will adopt a jukebox format and Gale is promising all the old favourites. “We have to have The Power Of Love, we have to have Johnny B. Goode, Earth Angel, Mr. Sandman. Back in Time, maybe. You can’t have a show call Back To The Future: The Musical and not hear those songs"
Alongside the obligatory Huey Lewis (and his News), there are several original songs in the works. For more on those, and other BTTF business from Gale, pick up the new issue of Empire, on sale today. Click here for a full guide.