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Video: Go Inside BACK TO THE FUTURE's Gala Opening
May 17, 2024
Earlier this week, the best of Broadway came out to celebrate Back to the Future: The Musical's Gala Performance, benefitting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. In this video, watch as we take you inside the big night!
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Hello, back in fact, back and back
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Yeah, you're back to drive. Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World
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One of the most eagerly awaited new musicals to come to Broadway is Back to the Future, which
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is based on the iconic blockbuster film starring Michael J. Fox. And tonight's special Gallup performance is a benefit for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for
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Parkinson's Research, and I celebrated with the cast and creatives. How do you feel tonight
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I am elated. Richard, I cannot believe I'm here. At my second Broadway opening in a year, it is unbelievably, I'm very privileged
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I'm very lucky. It's so fun. What's it like taking on this iconic role? It's so special
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I mean, not only is Marty, someone that we've always looked up, I've always looked up to, and we all have, but Michael is
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I'm wearing this for Parkinson's today, and all of the changes he has made to the way we talk about health is really inspiring to me
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And to be a part of one of his characters' legacies is really, really special
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First of all, if you had an hour, I could tell you all the things that are special about this part
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about this time in my life. To be able to play a role that is so faceted with
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it so comedic and also affords me the opportunity of depth and to have this friendship with Marty McFly on stage and do all my scenes most of my scenes with him
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And to be able to sort of sing along with an orchestra every day, it is just really nothing
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better in the world. And it arrives at a time in my life where I feel like I've been preparing my whole life
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for this kind of role. So I'm just so overwhelmed with gratitude
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Just talk about the enjoyment of how much joy this musical is bringing to audiences here at the Wintergarn
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It's extraordinary. I didn't really even realize how much bringing joy to people meant to me as a performer until this show
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We brought a lot of joy when I did the producers to a lot of people
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But this is a worldwide phenomenon. I meet people from all over the world coming here who've traveled a long way
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both in London and now here, who just keep. You know, they're over the moon about it
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And I'm just so glad we can kind of provide people with this incredibly thrilling
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funny, and well-prepared comfort food, you know. What's made this so special for you with working on this new musical
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Honestly, so many things. Being a part of the Back to the Future legacy, the franchise, the fans are so invested
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And getting to bring this piece that everybody loves to life again with music and dance numbers
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it's been really special. How do you feel tonight? I feel electric
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This is like the gala opening of gala openings. And furthermore is for Michael J. Fox Foundation, which is pretty incredible
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But just the culmination of a celebration of a great show that we get to put on
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I feel amazing And my mom here tonight So most of all I feel out of my body I telling you I have been waiting to be able to be in this moment since I was 10 years old
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And I first saw the movies. I've known the trilogy since I was a little, little kid
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I grew up on this property. The modern mythology and its influence on our modern culture, it cannot be overstated
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And I'm so thrilled to be in this thing that is that plus a new experience
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There are already fan groups I mean they've come over from the UK and there's a Back to the Future Broadway fan group
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but they've been so lovely at Stage Door because they love the film
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but they just let you run with it they could have been like no that's not how it was in the film
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but they just let you be creative and there's so much love at Stage Door is wonderful because you did it over there I did
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so it must have been magical to start Back to the Future in the West End
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and now being here on Broadway yeah it's sort of you sort of ramp up the back of the future intensity
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We started in Manchester and the fans came over for that. And then London is like big fans and now we're in America
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The home of Back to the Future. It's central to American culture and so far it's been a wonderful experience
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How do you feel tonight? I'm kind of numb actually. This is a culmination of an awful lot
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But it's fantastic. We're going to have a whole bunch of people from the movie here
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Some of who have seen the show in London and some who have not
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and I mean this is such a fabulous production we want to blow everybody away
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it's crazy it's fantastic I was just telling someone down the lane I was born a block and a half from here
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and it otherworldly to be standing here with the legendary Glenn Ballard in my neighborhood And have this happening It fantastic
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Well, I don't think there's a bigger dream that anyone could have as a musician or a writer
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that to have a Broadway show. It's kind of like the Holy Grail
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If you arrive with a Broadway show, you've certainly accomplished something. And it seems like we have a hit Broadway show
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And on that level, it's beyond any fantasy I ever had when I was growing up
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because I've seen so many shows on Broadway, and it was like the thought that we could ever achieve this
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and it looks like it's a dream coming true. You had brought so much joy already with this musical
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not only in Manchester first and then in London, and now here, people are flying it all over the world
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to come and see this show and buy tickets. Just talk about the joy this show is bringing to audiences
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and what that means to you. Well, I think in the first preview, you know, there was this huge line around the theatre and people, as you say, from all around the world in costumes, people we recognised from the opening in London
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And yeah, that's massive, you know, to think that this is giving them, you know, a real place to come and enjoy back to the future in so many ways
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But also just after that, you know, all the families coming, seeing the kids see it
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You know, just seeing them like walk up to the end of the aisle next to the stage and dance away to back in time
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So I think right now we need shows like Back to the Future
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We need shows that are really entertaining, that are taking out of people out there, their lives
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and there's so much bad news, isn't there? This is a real way to really enjoy ourselves
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and take us through this fantastic story once again in a very different way
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