“Finding a balance between respecting the character and your own creativity is important”: Stephen Leask on Back to the Future the Musical at Adelphi Theatre

The renowned film trilogy Back to the Future is a sci-fi cult classic because of its time-travelling antics, Michael J Fox’s performance as the iconic Marty McFly and the legendary scoring by Alan Silvestri. Combining all of this and adapting into a stage musical may seem like an impossible feat. But three years since it first opened, Back to the Future the Musical has been going strong in the West End, with multiple awards under its belt. As the show approaches a possible end to its run this coming July 2024, audiences are rallying to see this story on stage one last time before it’s gone forever.

Back to the Future the Musical cycles through new cast members every once in a while, and one recent addition is Stephen Leask, known for his roles as the original Cal in West End’s Waitress as well as playing Dewey Finn – an iconic character popularised by Jack Black – in the West End adaptation of School of Rock. Leask will be alternating for Cory English’s Doc Brown in Back to the Future the Musical. The Upcoming caught up with him, exploring topics such as his love for the original trilogy, honouring the different performances of Doc from different stage actors and his take on remaking old classic films into stage plays.

Were you a big fan of the Back to the Future films?

I absolutely loved them! When I was about eight or nine years old, I had my appendix out and got an infection after my operation. So I had a few weeks off school. My dad rented the three Back to the Future films for me and I watched them every day! Even now if I turn on the TV and I catch one of the films halfway through, I’ll sit and watch until the end.

Which of the three films from the series is your favourite to watch personally?

At some point, I think they have all been my favourites. Nine-year-old me loved the third one because I liked that it was set in the Wild West. But the sci-fi geek in me loves the second one as it is the best time travel story. However, being in the show, I have a new love for the original. You can’t go wrong!

What’s it like playing such an eccentric but reliable character like Doc? Is it fun? Do you get to add your spin on his kookiness whenever you’re on stage?

I’ve always played high-energy characters, which is good because I struggle to keep still! When coming into a show that is already established and has well-known, recognisable characters, it’s important to be respectful to the character. Our creative team were very generous in letting me throw in ideas and try things out. I think finding a balance between respecting the character and your own creativity is important. But also, taking on board the choices made by Christopher Lloyd, Roger Bart and Corey English.

How important of a role do you think alternates play in the success of a production’s run?

A show is made up of many moving parts and it takes everyone in the building working together to keep it running. Swings, covers, stand-bys and alternates all have an important role to play in making sure every show can go on. It’s great that I can come in and do a couple of shows a week, bring in my version of Doc and bring my energy into the building.

The production must be insane for a musical like Back to the Future, what with all the science and time travel spectacles going on. What is it like to see this incredible set up close and what’s your favourite part of it?

It has got to be the car! I think you would struggle to find anybody who didn’t want to drive the DeLorean. The sets and costumes are so detailed and are so accurate. When I rewatched the film during rehearsal, I realised how accurate our set and my costumes are to that of the movie. We have the best stage management team in the West End. None of what is seen on stage would be possible without the hard work of stage management and the Adelphi crew. It is amazing what they do during the show that doesn’t get seen out front.

The topic of time travel is quite an interesting and expansive one. If you had the chance to go back and change anything from the past, would you take that chance at all?

I’m a sci-fi geek and I have always found time travel stories and the science of time travel fascinating. I’m not sure if I would go back and change anything because it would be really difficult to achieve that! If Marty’s adventure teaches us anything, you have to be incredibly careful when travelling back in time. I think I would do what Doc would do, which is go back and observe and not touch anything.

Despite all the extravagance and sci-fi hook of Back to the Future, it’s very much a grounded story in terms of its themes, such as love and dreams of a better life beyond what one is destined for. Have you had any new reflections on the film since working on the adaptation?

It has been really interesting discovering the father/son relationship between Marty and Doc. The Doc we first meet in 1985 is a different person to the Doc we meet in 1955. The 1955 Doc is a loner and is struggling to make his dream come true. Doc cares about science, but when he meets Marty, he discovers a new goal: saving his friend.

There are a lot of film-to-musicals that don’t make it quite as well as others on bigger stages. Why do you think Back to the Future has been so successful? What draws people into this story and these characters?

Back to the Future is an iconic film trilogy and the first thing you think when you see the words “musical” after the title is: how will that work? The original film has some of the best underscoring in cinema. The Back to The Future theme is iconic and instantly recognisable and having that as a starting point to write a musical from is really special. There has been so much time, love and dedication put into developing the show. The ingenious stage tricks and special effects bring something you watch on screen to life right in front of you, and it is completely unexpected. The whole show is a surprise!

You were in Waitress and School of Rock, classic movies from the 2000s adapted for the stage. Do you think taking these old stories from film and reworking them into a musical is a good or a bad thing for creativity within the theatre industry? Is it better to be creating rather than remaking?

The last few years have been incredibly challenging for theatres. Many shows were cancelled or couldn’t reopen or lost an audience during the pandemic. Anything that keeps people at work and keeps audiences entertained can only be a good thing.

Mae Trumata

Back to the Future the Musical is at Adelphi Theatre until 24^th July 2024. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.