Broadway’s Almost Famous star Casey Likes has landed the coveted role of Marty McFly in the upcoming Back To The Future: The Musical, joining the previously announced Roger Bart as Doc Brown.
The casting was announced today by lead producer Colin Ingram with Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale. On Good Morning America today, Likes was introduced by Bob Gale, co-writer of Back to the Future film trilogy, as the young actor emerged from a DeLorean in Times Square.
Previews of Back To The Future begin Friday, June 30, at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre, with an opening night on Thursday, August 3. Also in the cast is Hugh Coles as George McFly, who, like Bart, is reprising his performance from the original West End production.
Likes was named a 2019 finalist at the Jimmy Awards, the nationwide high school musical theater awards presented by the Broadway League. He made his Broadway debut last September as William Miller, the high school-aged Cameron Crowe-inspired character of Almost Famous who scores a Rolling Stone assignment trailing a rock band on tour.
Additional casting for Back to the Future will be announced at a later date.
The character of Marty McFly, originated on film by Michael J. Fox, is a 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, the stage adaptation has a book by Bob Gale, new music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, with additional songs from the film including “The Power of Love” and “Johnny B. Goode.” Gale is the co- creator and co-writer of the Back to the Future film trilogy and Silvestri composed the film score for the series.
The musical will be directed by John Rando and features a 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 music direction by Ted Arthur.
The West End production of Back To The Future at the Adelphi Theatre was recently extended to July 23, 2023. The production won the Best New Musical Olivier Award and officially opened in London on September 13, 2021, with Olly Dobson as Marty McFly.