"Back to the Future" musical at the Cadillac Palace Theatre
CHICAGO (CBS) — Rev up your DeLorean and fuel up the flux capacitor because "Back to the Future," the enduring and enormously popular time travel film, is now on the stage at the Cadillac Palace Theatre.
Mistakenly transported back to 1955 by Doc Brown's time machine. Marty McFly needs to make sure his parents still fall in love, or his own future will fade away.
The musical is a high-energy salute to the 1985 film. The production expands on the soundtrack and pays tribute to the film's iconic characters. Actor Christopher Lloyd unforgettably brought the scatterbrained Doc Brown to life on film.
Donning his lab coat now is Broadway veteran Don Stevenson, whose many roles include Leo Bloom in the Broadway production of "The Producers."
"I can't remember if I was a sophomore or a junior in college, and I absolutely loved it," Stevenson said.
Why did it have such an impact on so many people?
"You could argue that "Back to the Future" is the greatest time travel story ever devised, and I think it's because it's got the perfect combination of a little bit of sci-fi, a little bit of action, a little bit of romance, and then it has heart," Stevenson said.
What's it like stepping into an iconic role already associated with a particular actor?
"It's an interesting needle to thread. We all know Christopher Lloyd's performance is so brilliant and iconic, and wonderful. And I love him. I'm such a fan of his. And the main thing that I got from his performance is that he always has kept a sensible, childlike wonder about it. Doc is amazed at everything. He's almost like an 11-year-old boy with a science experiment. It's still amazing to him. And so that wonder I tried to bring to the performance.
If you're still on summer break, be sure to make it back in time to see "Back to the Future" playing at the Cadillac Palace Theater through September 1.