“Back to the Future: The Musical” comes to the Detroit Opera House Oct. 28 to Nov. 9, with David Josefsberg (left) as Doc Brown and Lucas Hallauer as Marty McFly. For tickets and more information, go to broadwayindetroit.com.
As the cool days of autumn fill days with fall color, the lights on local stages are set to warm things up inside, as “Back to the Future: The Musical” comes to the Detroit Opera House, Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” helps launch the Detroit Mercy Theatre Company’s new Black Box Theater, and Theater and Dance at Wayne offer August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” and Jules Feiffer’s “Little Murders.”
BROADWAY IN DETROIT BRINGS ‘BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE MUSICAL’ TO THE DETROIT OPERA HOUSE
“Back to the Future: The Musical” plays Oct. 28 to Nov. 9 at the Detroit Opera House, 1526 Broadway in Detroit.
Based on the 1985 film “Back to the Future” with Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as Dr. Emmett Brown, the show tells the story of a teenager accidentally transported back to 1955 in a time-traveling DeLorean who must make sure his teenage parents fall in love to ensure his own future existence.
The show, which opened Sept. 13, 2021, in London’s West End, has played on Broadway, in Hamburg, Tokyo, and on Royal Caribbean’s Star of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.
Bob Gale, who wrote the book (script) for the show, said if the older version of himself had traveled back to 1980 to tell him that the movie script he was struggling with would one day become a Broadway musical, he would have thought they were crazy.
“Well, sometimes crazy ideas give birth to great entertainment,” he said. “Now Bob (Zemeckis) and I are eager to share our musical vision with audiences worldwide.”
The show is part of the Broadway in Detroit subscription season. Individual tickets begin at $30, and are available online at BroadwayInDetroit.com.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 28 to 31, Nov. 1, and Nov. 4 to 8; 6:30 p.m. Nov. 2 and 9; 2 p.m. Nov. 1 and 8, and 3 p.m. Nov. 2 and 9 at the Detroit Opera House.
The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company opens its new Black Box Theater on the McNichols Campus with William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” with LaDonte’Hartfield (left) as Feste and Chisomaga Nwoke as the musician. The show runs Nov. 7 to 16, with tickets available at DetroitMercyArts.com.
THEATRE COMPANY AT DETROIT MERCY OPENS NEW BLACK BOX THEATER WITH SHAKESPEARE’S ‘TWELFTH NIGHT’
The Detroit Mercy Theatre Company celebrates its 55th season and its return to campus with a production of William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at its new Black Box Theater at its McNichols location.
The script, adapted by Marc Palmieri, follows twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated during a shipwreck caused by a storm at sea, who wash up separately in Illyria. Viola disguises herself as a man and goes to work for the noble Duke Orsino, with whom she falls in love. Orsino, however, is in love with the Countess Olivia, whom he sends Viola to woo for him. Olivia falls in love with the disguised Viola, so when her twin Sebastian shows up and falls for Olivia, the romantic entanglements take a confusing and amusing turn.
Andrew Papa, chair of the Department of Performing Arts, said Shakespeare’s works are always relevant, even in the present day, which is why they have been popular for centuries.
“‘Twelfth Night’ is one of his best comedies, and it’s in times like these that comedies are just the reprieve the world needs,” he said.
Sarah Hawkins Rusk, managing director of DMTC and director of “Twelfth Night,” said the company is thrilled to be returning to campus after more than a decade away.
“Our new theater will be a dynamic hub for creativity on campus, offering students a professional-caliber space to learn and grow,” she said.
The Nov. 7 and 8 productions are by invitation only, and the Nov. 14 show is sold out. Remaining show times are 2 p.m. Nov. 9 and 16, and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Black Box Theater on the McNichols campus in Detroit.
General admission is $25, with $18 tickets for seniors and Detroit Mercy faculty, staff and alumni, and $10 for veterans and students. To order online, go to DetroitMercyArts.com.
Theatre and Dance at Wayne presents August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” Oct. 31 to Nov. 9 at the Hilberry Gateway Theater, with Joey Taylor (left) and Breon LaDawn. For tickets and more information, go to theatreanddance.wayne.edu.
THEATER AND DANCE AT WAYNE PRESENTS AUGUST WILSON’S ‘SEVEN GUITARS’ AND JULES FEIFFER’S ‘LITTLE MURDERS’
Theater and Dance at Wayne continues its season with Jules Feiffer’s “Little Murders” Oct. 24 to 25 on the student stage of the Hilberry Gateway Studio Theater, and August Wilson’s “Seven Guitars” Oct. 31 to Nov. 9 on the main stage of the Hilberry Gateway Theater.
“Little Murders,” a dark comedy, satirizes suburban life by looking at the life of a depressed New Yorker engaged to a perky woman with a chaotic family, and a wedding day disrupted by power failures, obscene phone calls and a sniper’s bullet.
Directed by Shawn Walsh, the show is described as a black comedy that mixes dark humor with serious themes as it explores the absurdity and violence of urban life and the anxieties of modern relationships and marriage.
The show runs 90 minutes with no intermission. It contains violence, loud sound, smoking, homophobia, death, blood, sexism, and strong and offensive language. It is recommended for ages 16 and older.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25, with a 2 p.m. Oct. 25 matinee, at the Hilberry Gateway Theater, 4715 Cass Ave. in Detroit.
“Seven Guitars,” set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District in 1948, follows a group of friends mourning a blues guitarist on the verge of stardom.
The show uses live music and lyrical dialogue to explore ambition, systemic injustice and the search for legacy.
Set in a world that oppresses Black aspirations, the play reveals the enduring bonds that hold communities together.
The show runs 2 hours and 45 minutes with one intermission. It contains mature themes, including racial and social tensions, trauma and death, and contains strong language, violence and references to substance abuse. It is recommended for ages 15 and older.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, 7 and 8; 7 p.m. Nov. 6; 2 p.m. Nov. 1, 5 and 8; 3 p.m. Nov. 9; and 10 a.m. Nov. 7, which is a student matinee.
For tickets and more information, go to theatreanddance.wayne.edu.