While promoting Back to the Future: The Musical, Roger Bart talks about taking on the Doc Brown role and making it his own. 

According to its website, Back to the Future: The Musical transports fans with Marty McFly and Doc Brown back to the year 1955. McFly, who realizes he has accidentally made changes to the course of history, races against time to fix the present. He also must escape the past. The musical is currently happening in New York City, with shows in North America and London in 2024. 

As he spoke to Backstage, Bart revealed the multiple differences between the Back to the Future movies and the musical. “All of these scenes are subtly different from the movie,” he explained. “So you can’t help but play things differently, because you’re presented with different situations.”

The actor also shared that he was trained in the Meisner technique for the Back to the Future role. “So we try to talk and listen and understand our situations and the stakes,” he continued. “You just kind of let it fly; and if you’re trying to be honest from your unique perspective, then inevitably, you’re going to make it different.”

Bart went on to discuss how he and Broadway newcomer Casey Likes mesh well. Especially when it comes to playing Doc Brown and Marty McFly. “There are a few moments in the second act where Marty helps realign Doc’s thinking and gets him back on track, particularly as it relates to his self-confidence. And so he wears the adult pants in the relationship a couple of times, and I find that very sweet.”

‘Back to the Future: The Musical’ Star Reflects on Performing in a Widely Popular Musical

Meanwhile, Roger Bart gets candid about the pressure he has over playing Doc Brown in Back to Future: The Musical.

“I love big, giant shows,” Bart said about his Back to the Future: The Musical role. The stage actor also said that playing in both large houses and small ones is fantastic for him. However, something as big as Back to the Future is considered “fantastic” for him. 

“I have a lot of love coming at me,” Bart continued. “Just from coming out of the DeLorean and doing what Christopher Lloyd did, what he created.”

Bart went on to add that now it’s up to him to make Back to the Future: The Musical his own and he hopes by doing that, he can entertain the film and theater audience. 

Back to the Future: The Musical is currently on stage in New York City until June 2024.