It Works! A Review of the Tour of Back to the Future: The Musical at the Buell Theatre
Eamon Lujan, Guest Writer
Back to the Future: The Musical is a new adaptation of the classic movie. With a book by Bob Gale, music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, and direction by John Rando, this timeless tale has hit the stage at full speed.
Eamon Lujan, Guest Writer
Back to the Future: The Musical is a new adaptation of the classic movie. With a book by Bob Gale, music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, and direction by John Rando, this timeless tale has hit the stage at full speed.
I attended this show twice while it was in Denver. The first was a part of our family’s season subscription. At that first performance, we had the full principal cast and sat in Orchestra C, Row AA, Seat 9. The second time I saw it with a group of friends and had the full principal cast but a new Marty McFly than the one I had previously seen transferred to the West End production. I sat in Orchestra D, Row D, Seat 7.
Back to the Future: The Musical follows the movie to a T, with only slight changes or omissions. I was quite skeptical coming into the show, figuring it’d be good fun but ultimately another forgettable movie-to-musical adaptation. I couldn’t have been more wrong. It works!
Back to the Future: The Musical is bombastic, strange, and campy. Much of this is achieved through incredible tech work, with many moving parts that come together to create convincing illusions. The most important thing is that they have recreated the DeLorean time machine and put it onstage. This thing can actually drive around the stage and has a fully detailed interior. Credit goes to scenic and costume designer Tim Hatley, who managed to design and bring this beast to life.
While it can drive around, the effect is really sold through Fin Ross’ video design and Chris Fisher’s illusion work. The car is sandwiched between a downstage see-through scrim and a screen in the background. Here we see videos of the world zipping by the DeLorean, creating an incredible feeling of speed I haven’t really seen on a stage before. It is a particularly effective piece of technical work that sells the scene well despite it being a simple setup. It also displays the logo when you first arrive in the theatre, with error warnings popping up reminding you not to take photos as phones did not exist in the 80’s and it will mess with the space-time continuum.
While we are on the topic of technical work, I want to applaud the lighting design by Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone. It does not intrude on scenes where it is unnecessary, but it makes great use of the proscenium which lights up in a futuristic circuit-like pattern when the car is speeding by. Towards the end of the show, when the storm begins to pick up, bright white lights flash at the audience to simulate lightning.
At our first performance, Marty McFly was played by Caden Brauch. He has since left the touring production to instead play Marty on the West End and has been succeeded by Lucas Hallauer. Caden’s interpretation of Marty felt unique, he wasn’t weighed down by what Michael J. Fox did in the movies. His Marty seemed to be playing it cooler than Fox’s. There is a specific line that I feel illustrates the point well. When Fox says “You built a time machine... out of a DeLorean?”, he sounds exasperated and confused. When Brauch says it, he is in awe, with a hint of “right on dude” in his voice.
Our second performance had Lucas Haullauer, who previously understudied the role. Almost anything I could say about Caden’s performance I could say about Lucas’, they both play a very cool and suave Marty. I prefer how Lucas plays out moments with Lorraine and the few moments Marty does get genuinely panicked, his voice shoots up and the persona comes down. I feel Caden had better chemistry with George, his disappointment in how lame his dad is being almost painful. There are moments where he says nothing, just staring at his dad as you see the hope being extinguished behind his eyes. Neither of them gave a “better” performance, I think they both are doing a lot of the same things but playing into different strengths.
Don Stephenson played Doc Brown and his performance was one of the greatest things I have ever seen a person do onstage. I couldn’t make out many of the words he was saying due to his strange cartoon voice, but his vibes and aura were captivating. He moved about the stage in a herky-jerky manner, speaking with the cadence of a mad scientist. Stephenson says “flux capacitor” like Doofenshmirtz says “evil-inator”. There was a point where he made an expression where he stretched his mouth in opposite diagonal directions, a face so impossible he surely must have detached his jaw from the whole side of his skull. He looked like an animatronic with rubber skin stretched so far it was about to tear away. He’s almost what I imagine Doc Brown would be like if an 80’s Back to the Future cartoon had ever been made, similar to the Beetlejuice cartoon. A goofy caricature of a mad scientist, a zany personality that could sustain an episodic series.
Michale Bindeman plays George McFly, Marty’s father, and is a delight to watch anytime he’s onstage. He is a very tall and lanky man and uses it to his advantage, walking around in an awkward and bow-legged manner. One of the best moments that showcases this brand of comedy is during “Put Your Mind to It”, a song where Marty is teaching his dad how to be cool. Marty dances with swagger and style, and his father flails his arms around as he attempts to replicate the moves. There is a key point towards the end of the show where he gains confidence he never had before, and it is fun watching how his character transforms. He is still gangly and awkward, but he stands tall and stops being hunched over all the time.
Zan Berube plays Lorraine, Marty’s mother, who has the onerous task of making the audience believe incest is funny. She is successful at this endeavor, as she is quite overtly horny and Marty has to dodge her wild attempts to get him into her bed. To add some essential context for those who have not seen the movie, Marty accidentally interferes with his parents meeting for the first time in the past. Instead of his mother nursing his father back to health after he falls out of a tree, Marty falls and his mother becomes affectionate towards him. It is ridiculous how infatuated Zan is with Marty, and it is ridiculous how this is a primary obstacle that needs to be overcome so Marty isn’t erased. Perhaps it is the fact it is all so ridiculous that makes her performance work so well.
The whole show lives in its own ridiculous and campy world. When Doc begins to sing, a group of women come out and act as backup singers. Marty asks where all these girls came from, and Doc says “I don’t know! They just appear whenever I start singing!”. A whole chorus of ensemble members appear later during “Future Boy”, and Doc awkwardly shoos them out of his house when the song comes to a sudden halt. Act 1 ends with a spectacularly choreographed chase sequence through the high school, with Marty and George scaling lockers and leaping over tables. There is so much happening onstage during that sequence, so much to look at. It’s a spectacularly fun show.
The music is the weakest part of this show, despite the promise of the name attached to it. Alan Silvestri composed the music for the original movies and came back to create the score for this musical. When the Back to the Future theme is being played, recreating iconic moments from the movie, there is some real magic happening on that stage. That said, Alan is not a musical composer.
There are a lot of times where it feels like the music is not meaningfully moving the story forward or developing the characters, two essential traits of any good musical theatre song. The first four songs are duds, making it feel like we were stopping the show to sing a song. The best was “Hello, Is Anybody Home?”, where Marty wonders how he ended up with such a lame family. It’s fun seeing how much his family sucks. The show at this point is sitting at like a 7/10, maybe 6 if I’m feeling uncharitable. Then right after that song, the DeLorean comes swerving out of the darkness and the show instantly rockets up to a 9/10. Everything after that point is just ridiculous, campy, fun. It maintains that energy until the very end with a curtain call performance of Huey Lewis and the News’ “Back in Time”. Back to the Future: The Musical is absolutely not high art, but boy is it a real fun ride.
Top 8 Haunted Houses Near Regis University
Rose Cordova, Staff Writer
Spooky season is upon us! Do you and your friends want to find something scary to do over the weekend or for Halloween? Well, here’s the spot to look… Below are the top 8 highest-rated haunted houses near Regis University for you to visit this fall!
Rose Cordova, Staff Writer and Social Media Contributor
Spooky season is upon us! Do you and your friends want to find something scary to do over the weekend or for Halloween? Well, here’s the spot to look… Below are the top 8 highest-rated haunted houses near Regis University for you to visit this fall!
1: Horror Theater Haunted House
Rating: 4.9 Stars
Address: 4504 S Independence St, Denver, CO 80123
Starting off we have the Horror Theater Haunted House off South Independence Street at number 1 It’s only a 25-minute drive from Regis. This haunted house has almost a 5-star review (Google) and is a dark, eerie, abandoned movie theater. This spooky place is in a residential garage and is completely free, but donations are welcomed. Groups of 3-4 people are permitted per admittance and the scare actors cannot touch you, but that does not mean the house won’t… which would consist of wind, water, fog, and extra goodies!
2: The Frightmare Compound
Rating: 4.8 Stars
Address: 10798 Yukon St, Westminster, CO 80021
In 2nd place, we have the Frightmare Compound located in Westminster. It’s only 15 minutes from campus. This warm, cozy, totally not terrifying, haunted house has 2 experiences for the tortured souls who go there: their signature Frightmare Compound and Lights Out. The Frightmare Compound consists of their annual haunted house and their Lights Out event is November 1 & 2nd only. Their LightsOut event is one truly for the books as you will be left in the pure dark with intense jumpscares. Act fast as the Lights Out event is November 1 & 2nd only. This haunted house does cost money starting at $30 per person. Now, history does tie this haunted house to Denver and you have the possibility of seeing their gone, but not forgotten owner Brad Holder; but do you dare to experience a terrifying time?
3: Reinke Brothers: Haunted Mansion
Rating: 4.7 Stars
Address: 5663 S Prince St, Littleton, CO 80120
And for the bronze medal, we have the Reinke Brothers’ Haunted Mansion in Littleton. This haunted mansion is only 20 minutes away and is ready to scare you and all your friends. This location scares you through monsters, demons, witches, and anything else a demented mind can think of. Sadly, the mansion is only open during the fall season, specifically from September 27 to November 3, 2024. We’re already halfway through the season so buy your tickets fast. The cost per person starts at $20. This haunted mansion also offers a “Lights On” tour which is great for younger siblings or first-timers as all of their “super friendly” monsters are sent to go on lunch.
4: Terror in the Corn
Rating: 4.4 Stars
Address: 6728 County Rd 3 1/4, Erie, CO 80516
We have hit the halfway point, stopping at Terror in the Corn in Erie, CO. This maze is a bit of a further driver than the others, but it is top-rated by the Haunted Attraction Association. The total drive time is about 30 minutes from campus, but you get to wander through a plethora of abandoned buildings and get scared out of your mind from this new walking nightmare. Pricing starts at $40 but can increase, primarily depending on what day you decide to go. In this extensive nightmare, you can travel across a mile’s worth of land completely immersing you into the nightmare realm.
5: The Ritual: Haunted House
Rating: 4.3 Stars
Address: 301 Englewood Pkwy, Englewood, CO 80110
Now, can you handle a horrific haunted house? The Ritual: Haunted House is located in Englewood being only a 15-minute drive from Regis. This haunted house has no age restriction but can be intense for younger audiences or those who have never dabbled in horror. This haunted house is known for leaving a mark on you after you leave giving all the horror geeks, such as myself, a run for our money. Speaking of money, baseline pricing for admission is $24 but you can purchase a VIP ticket to fast pass the line. Also, similar to the Frightmare Compound, The Ritual: Haunted House offers a “Lights Out” event on November 1 and 2nd for a dark, creepy, experience. Are you confident that you won’t be trapped forever?
6: Elitch Gardens: Fright Fest
Rating: 4.0 Stars
Address: 2000 Elitch Circle Denver, CO 80204
Now if you are anyone in Colorado, you know of Elitch Gardens. Well, they host a Fright Fest and it is only 10 minutes away from our university. Elitch Gardens has a horror attraction for every type of person, consisting of 6 sections: Carn-evil, Lock Up: No Escape, Seance, Terror-tories, Insidious, and Insidious: The Summoning. The terrifying night starts up at 6:00 pm and admission is a generous $150, which sadly, does not include parking but does include admission. This experience is one of the more expensive routes for a scary night, but the price defines the quality and amount of things that are available to any guest who is crazy enough to enter the gardens for a time of seeing terrifying creatures.
7: Haunted Field of Screams
Rating: 3.9 Stars
Address: 10451 McKay Rd, Thornton, CO 80233
This is a maze that will haunt your dreams till you’re dead! The Haunted Field of Screams is in Thorton, Colorado and is so close it can almost kill you being a 14 minute drive away. This maze is 40-acre worth of land and will make you run away crying. This attraction is to be avoided by younger audiences as there is no “less scary” version of the maze. Throughout this maze, you will experience the gates of hell opening up to bring you in through haunted houses and corn fields. Pricing for the Haunted Field of Screams begins at $30 per person for general admission. Do you think you can manage 40-acres worth of fear?
8: The 13th Floor
Rating: 3.8 Stars
Address: 3400 E 52nd Ave, Denver, CO 80216
Last, but not least we have The 13th Floor located 9 minutes away in Commerce City. USA Today has stated that the 13th Floor is one of the scariest haunted houses in the country. It currently holds 2 haunted houses and as of this year, an additional haunted house. The themes for the haunted houses consist from deep sea terror to a taxidermist who has decided humans are better fitted for him than animals. Tickets start at $25 and can include each type of haunted house. The 13th Floor is open until November 9th and offers a possibility to get out of the attraction if it becomes too scary. The actors cannot touch you and you are not allowed to take photos during the experience. Also, if you are 21+, there are various bars within the location. Can you handle the 13th floor’s monsters?
And that completes our list of the top 8 haunted houses near Regis University! Do you think you’ll be brave enough for all of these or are you too frightened to try? In the spirit of spooky season, I highly recommend that everyone attends at least one haunted house in their life. Maybe one of these will be your first one!
Elk Rut Photo Essay
Photo Source // Amy Reglin, Photo Editor
If you’re looking for a fun way to get off campus and experience wildlife, head to Rocky Mountain National Park for the Elk rut. Each year from mid-September to mid-October the bull elk gather female elk for the mating season. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Often times the bulls will fight each other, locking antlers to acquire more cows for themselves. It’s always exciting to see the bulls lock antlers and hear them bugle. Next weekend is Elk Fest in Estes Park and the Park fees are waived on Saturday Sept. 28 for National Public Lands Day.