EAST LANSING, MI–Lead producer Colin Ingram, together with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, the creators of the Back to the Future film trilogy, and Wharton Center for Performing Arts are thrilled to announce that BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical will arrive in East Lansing this January as part of the 2025-26 Broadway Season. This spectacular live experience based on the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment film has thrilled millions worldwide, with its destination now set for the Cobb Great Hall from January 13 through January 18, 2026. Tickets are available now as part of the Broadway Series at Wharton Center supported by MSU Federal Credit Union through the Wharton Center Ticket Office, online at whartoncenter.com, or by calling 517.432.2000 or 1.800.WHARTON. SeatGeek is the only official partner of the Wharton Center Ticket Office.
The nostalgia-rich Broadway production opened August 3, 2023, at the Winter Garden Theatre, grossing over $80 million across 500+ performances. Now in its fourth year in London’s West End, BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical officially opened in London on September 13, 2021, has been seen by more than 1,600,000 people to date, and broken multiple Adelphi Theatre box office records. The production won the Best New Musical Olivier Award as well as multiple WhatsOnStage Awards and a Broadway World Award for Best New Musical. BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical had its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House on March 11, 2020.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical will open four productions in major markets over the next 18 months, including Germany, Japan, Sydney, and recently announced an 8-year deal with Royal Caribbean to play the musical in its full physical form on Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, the largest cruise ship in the world. To learn more about upcoming productions, please visit backtothefuture.com.
“THE AUDIENCE GOES WILD!” —The New York Times
Marty McFly is a rock ‘n’ roll teenager who is accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown. But before he can return to 1985, Marty must make sure his high school-aged parents fall in love in order to save his own existence.
Based on the Universal Pictures/Amblin Entertainment film, BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical has a book by Bob Gale, new music and lyrics by Emmy and Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri, and six-time Grammy Award-winning Glen Ballard, with additional songs from the film, including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.” Bob Gale is the co-creator and co-writer of the Back to the Future film trilogy, and Alan Silvestri composed the iconic film score for the series.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical is directed by Tony Award® winner John Rando and features a multi-Tony® and Olivier Award-winning design team that includes Tim Hatley (set and costume design), Tim Lutkin and Hugh Vanstone (lighting), Gareth Owen (sound), and Finn Ross (video), with choreography by Chris Bailey, musical supervision and arrangements by Nick Finlow, illusions by Chris Fisher, orchestrations by Ethan Popp and Bryan Crook, dance arrangements by David Chase, and casting by Tara Rubin. Bespoke Theatricals serves as General Manager.
“A JAW-DROPPING SPECTACLE THAT HITS ALL THE RIGHT BUTTONS!” —USA Today
Bob Gale said, “to paraphrase Marty McFly, you guys are ready for this, and your kids are gonna love it (too)! If Bob Zemeckis and I time-traveled back to 1980 and told our younger selves that the script they were struggling to write would become a Broadway musical 43 years later, they’d kick us out of their office and call us crazy. Well, sometimes, crazy ideas give birth to great entertainment, and now Bob and I are eager to share our musical vision with audiences worldwide. Regardless of whether you’ve seen the original film, BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical, with its outstanding performances and incredible stagecraft, will delight and enthrall you, your kids, your parents, and everyone you know!”
Lead Producer Colin Ingram said, “BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical is delighting audiences throughout North America and has sold over 600,000 tickets. Marty, Doc, and all at Hill Valley can’t wait to continue this tour across North America, thrilling audiences with this heartfelt story and stagecraft that has not been attempted before.”
The Original Cast Recording of BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical is available from Sony Masterworks Broadway in all formats, including vinyl. (https://soundtracks.lnk.to/BTTFAlbum) A deluxe 2-disc edition of the Original Cast Recording featuring never heard before demos of the songs from the musical was released by Sony Masterworks Broadway on June 30, 2021.
A 240-page hardcover book, Creating Back to the Future: The Musical by Michael Klastorin, the official behind-the-scenes companion to the stage musical adaptation of Back to the Future, published by Abrams Books, was released July 3, 2023. Orders can be made at abramsbooks.com.
Back to the Future the film was released in 1985, starring Michael J. Fox as “Marty McFly” and Christopher Lloyd as “Dr. Emmett Brown.” The film grossed $360.6 million at the box office worldwide and the total box office for all three films in the Back to the Future franchise was $936.6 million (over $1.8 billion in today’s money).
Follow BACK TO THE FUTURE: The Musical at @bttfbway on Facebook and Instagram. For more information visit www.BackToTheFutureMusical.com.
Date/Time: Tues, Jan 13 – Sun, Jan, 2026
Tues, Jan 13 – Fri, Jan 18 at 7:30PM
Sat, Jan 17, 2PM & 7:30PM
Sun, Jan 18, 1PM & 6:30PM
Location: Cobb Great Hall
Tickets: From $51, Student/Youth $33
Ticket Office: whartoncenter.com
517.432.2000 or 1.800.WHARTON
For more perspective on this show and the whole season check out this recent interview with the Wharton’s Eric Olmscheid:
