Latest news with #BacktotheFuture:TheMusical
Yomiuri Shimbun
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Shiki's ‘Back to The Future' Musical: A Dazzling Ride through Time; Stars Naoto Risu, Masuo Nonaka Speak on the Hit's Japan Debut
Shiki Theatre Company's new production, 'Back to the Future: The Musical,' an acclaimed stage adaptation of the 1985 cinematic smash hit, is thrilling audiences with its electrifying performances and ingenious stagecraft. Now enjoying a successful run, this highly anticipated work features Naoto Risu as high school protagonist Marty McFly and Masuo Nonaka as Doc, the eccentric scientist who invents the time machine. Read on for highlights of the show, along with an interview with its stars. Set in a California suburb in 1985, the story begins as Marty, a high school student leading a dull life, visits the laboratory of his friend, the scientist Emmett 'Doc' Brown. Doc excitedly rambles on about how he has modified a DeLorean supercar and developed a time machine. During the experiment, however, Doc collapses due to the plutonium fuel. Marty drives the DeLorean to take Doc to the hospital, leading to a pivotal moment that changes entering the theater, visitors are greeted by an electrifying sight: LED boards mimicking circuit boards line the walls parallel to the audience. As the DeLorean travels through time and space, these boards brilliantly light up, creating a breathtaking effect that pulls the audience directly into the action. While audiences are initially blown away by the theme park-like mechanisms, these soon prove to be just an added feature. The meticulously crafted sets, recreating the famous movie scenes as well as showcasing original staging, are packed with ingenious theater technology that defies explanation, leaving audiences in awe of the stagecraft. Beyond the spectacle, the most vital element is the musical's core message: Doc's recurring mantra of 'Where there's a will, there's a way' resonates deeply. While we cannot rewind the past or fast-forward to the future, we are the ones who hold the power to take action toward shaping our destiny. With that kind of dedication, our dreams are within cast's energetic performances as they jump between 1985 and 1955 drive this point home with incredible conviction. You'll leave feeling empowered and inspired, thinking, 'Maybe starting tomorrow I'll start trying a little harder.' 'Back to the Future: The Musical' is enjoying a long run at the JR-East Shiki Theatre Aki in the Hamamatsucho district of Tokyo. The musical premiered in the United Kingdom in 2020, where it won Best New Musical at the 2022 Olivier Awards, the most prestigious ceremony in London theater. It also had a Broadway run in New York from August 2023 to January 2025. Delving into roles Risu, who plays Marty, and Nonaka, who plays Doc, spoke to The Yomiuri Shimbun. The following is excerpted from the interview: * * * The Yomiuri Shimbun: What is the appeal of Marty and Doc's respective roles? Risu: I think many stories feature protagonists who grow throughout the narrative, but Marty's charm lies in his inherent goodness from the very Despite being around 70, Doc poured about 30 years into his research, relentlessly pursuing his dream. That kind of sustained drive and power is astounding, isn't it? Yomiuri: I heard director John Rando instructed you to 'bring out your individuality.' Risu: If you try your best and your good qualities spill out, perhaps that is what individuality is. Nonaka: Individuality likely emerges eventually by delving deeply into a role. For me, it felt like it came naturally as I reacted to John's directions. Yomiuri: What were these 'directions'? Risu: The scene where Doc explains the time travel theory with a model was quite challenging to perform. Nonaka: He told me, 'Just keep improvising.' When I suggested, 'How about 'Mamma Mia!' when the sparks fly?' he enthusiastically replied, 'That's great!' Risu: Nonaka and Yoichiro Akutsu, who alternate the role of Doc, both appeared in the Japanese premiere of the musical 'Mamma Mia!' so I thought it was a clever touch. Yomiuri: Please tell us about some hidden Definitely the meticulousness of the Doc's laboratory set. Nonaka: I heard they found a genuine old projector and a lamp. Risu: The clocks in Doc's laboratory change time depending on the scene, but they are actually physically swapped out! Nonaka: The stagehands replace all twenty-something of them. Risu: Beyond that, it is worth examining all the subtle yet significant differences in Doc's 1985 and 1955 laboratories. You'll find, for example, that the Diet Pepsi can Marty enjoys is conspicuously absent in 1955, simply because it hadn't been released yet. Nonaka: Audiences probably wouldn't notice unless they stopped and compared I particularly like the scene at Marty's house. In the background, there is a whiteboard displaying Dave's (Marty's brother) future plans, though it quickly becomes hidden from view. Yomiuri: What do you hope audiences pay the most attention to? Nonaka: Of course, the time travel scenes. Even we, as performers, get excited. Risu: I'd be thrilled if audiences came away thinking about how Doc and Marty, despite their significant age difference, have such a good relationship. Naoto Risu: Raised in Tokyo, Risu joined the Shiki Theatre Company training center in 2018. His acting journey began with his appearance in an elementary school Christmas play. He has played many leading roles, including Ren / Kyuta in 'Bakemono no Ko' ('The Boy and The Beast'). Masuo Nonaka: Raised in Tochigi Prefecture, Nonaka is a Shiki Theatre Company veteran who joined the training center in 1984. He is also skilled at playing villains, such as Jafar in 'Aladdin' and medical officer John Hall in 'The Ghost and the Lady.'
Time of India
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Trump vows to turn the Kennedy Center around as he seeks to remake arts and culture in America
Donald Trump (AP) WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump hosted the Kennedy Center 's leadership at the White House on Monday night, reinforcing how much attention he's devoting to remaking a premier cultural center as part of a larger effort to overhaul the social and ideological dynamics of the national arts scene. The meeting of the center's board in the State Dining Room followed Trump firing its previous members and announcing in February that he'd serve as the board's chair. The new board, which unanimously approved Trump as its chair, is stocked with loyalists. They include White House chief of staff Susie Wiles; Attorney General Pam Bondi; Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance; and Lee Greenwood, whose song "God Bless the USA," plays at Trump rallies as well as many official events, including during his trip to the Middle East last week. Trump called it a "hot board." "We're gonna turn it around," Trump told dinner attendees of the center. He said of running the board, "When I said, 'I'll do this,' I hadn't been there" and joked, "That's the last time I'll take a job without looking at it." Trump has called the center's past programming "woke" and "terrible," while more broadly seeking to slash federal funding for the arts, complaining that too much programming promotes leftist ideology and political correctness. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Perdagangkan CFD Emas dengan Broker Tepercaya IC Markets Mendaftar Undo In his view, molding the Kennedy Center to his own liking can go a long way toward creating a new arts and social culture nationwide. The Kennedy Center announced its upcoming lineup on Monday, which includes performances of "Chicago," "Moulin Rouge" and "Back to the Future: The Musical." The offerings for kids include a theatrical version of the cartoon hit "Bluey." The center previously abandoned a week's worth of July events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights as part of this summer's World Pride festival in Washington. The White House has further moved to cancel millions in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups. And Trump's budget framework has proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities altogether. Trump told the dinner that congressional Republicans have pushed for more than $250 million for repairs and maintenance at the Kennedy Center, and said that, over the past decade, "tremendous amounts of money" was spent there. "I don't know where they spent it," he said. "They certainly didn't spend it on wallpaper, carpet or painting." Richard Grenell, a Trump envoy for special missions who is interim head of the Kennedy Center, said a previous budget included "$26 million in phantom revenue." He suggested the behavior could be a criminal matter for prosecutors and that Bondi, in addition to being on the center's board, heard the details at a meeting earlier Monday. "She heard the details, and this is unacceptable," Grenell said. Trump said the center would raise funds but added of the building's state that it's "falling apart" He said previous "programming was out of control with rampant political propaganda" and featured "some very inappropriate shows" including a "Marxist anti-police performance" and "Lesbian-only Shakespeare." "Who thinks of these ideas, really?" Trump cried, drawing loud laughs from those present. Trump also visited the Kennedy Center in March to preside over a meeting of its board, and complained then of "tremendous disrepair" to the building. The president has decried a recent expansion of the complex, known as "The Reach," which features studios, rehearsal spaces and meeting facilities, and has suggested he would move to close up the spaces because they lack windows. He said Monday that he'd rather see an open-air performance space on the Potomac. The president's changes drew pushback from a variety of artists. The musical Hamilton responded to Trump's hands-on approach by canceling performances it had planned in March and April. Other performers - including actress and producer Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens - have similarly scrapped planned appearances. And with Trump planning to attend a performance of Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center on June 11, the show announced that many understudies may be performing then due to boycotts by cast members. The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 and for decades was seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts. Presidents typically nominate members of the Kennedy Center's board in consultation with members of Congress. After that, they often don't have a lot of contact with the center's leadership, except to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors. "You're one of America's most renowned living playwrights, and you're still writing strong," Republican President Ronald Reagan said in 1984, addressing Author Miller, who was among that year's Kennedy Center honorees. It was an example of a Cold War commander-in-chief praising a writer who had well-known associations with communist-aligned groups. In 2019, the center hosted an exhibit of former Republican President George W. Bush's paintings. Trump became the first president to routinely skip attending the honors ceremony in his first term. Since returning to the White House, he's been far more aggressive and proactive, as he has on many policy and political fronts. He cited some drag show performances at the center as a reason to transform it entirely. "Instead of putting forward programming that tears our country down and tears our country apart," Trump said, "the Kennedy Center should be the nation's premier venue for lifting up the best of our country and lifting up the American arts, music and culture."
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
Trump vows to turn Kennedy center around as he seeks to remake arts and culture in America
WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump hosted the Kennedy Center 's leadership at the White House on Monday night, reinforcing how much attention he's devoting to remaking a premier cultural center as part of a larger effort to overhaul the social and ideological dynamics of the national arts scene. The meeting of the center's board in the State Dining Room followed Trump firing its previous members and announcing in February that he'd serve as the board's chair. The new board, which unanimously approved Trump as its chair, is stocked with loyalists. They include White House chief of staff Susie Wiles; Attorney General Pam Bondi; Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance; and Lee Greenwood, whose song 'God Bless the USA,' plays at Trump rallies as well as many official events, including during his trip to the Middle East last week. Trump called it a 'hot board.' 'We're gonna turn it around,' Trump told dinner attendees of the center. He said of running the board, 'When I said, 'I'll do this,' I hadn't been there" and joked, 'That's the last time I'll take a job without looking at it.' Trump has called the center's past programming 'woke' and 'terrible,' while more broadly seeking to slash federal funding for the arts — complaining that too much programming promotes leftist ideology and political correctness. In his view, molding the Kennedy Center to his own liking can go a long way toward creating a new arts and social culture nationwide. The Kennedy Center announced its upcoming lineup on Monday, which includes performances of 'Chicago,' 'Moulin Rouge' and "Back to the Future: The Musical." The offerings for kids includes a theatrical version of the cartoon hit 'Bluey.' The center previously abandoned a week's worth of July events celebrating LGBTQ+ rights as part of this summer's World Pride festival in Washington. The White House has further moved to cancel millions in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups. And Trump's budget framework has proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities altogether. Trump told the dinner that congressional Republicans have pushed for more than $250 million for repairs and maintenance at the Kennedy Center, and said that, over the past decade, 'tremendous amounts of money' was spent there. 'I don't know where they spent it," he said. "They certainly didn't spend it on wallpaper, carpet or painting.' Richard Grenell, a Trump envoy for special missions who is interim head of the Kennedy Center, said a previous budget included '$26 million in phantom revenue.' He suggested the behavior could be a criminal matter for prosecutors and that Bondi, in addition to being on the center's board, heard the details at a meeting earlier Monday. 'She heard the details, and this is unacceptable,' Grenell said. Trump said the center would raise funds but added of the building's state that it's "falling apart' He said previous 'programming was out of control with rampant political propaganda" and featured 'some very inappropriate shows' including a 'Marxist anti-police performance' and 'Lesbian-only Shakespeare." 'Who thinks of these ideas, really?" Trump cried, drawing loud laughs from those present. Trump also visited the Kennedy Center in March to preside over a meeting of its board, and complained then of 'tremendous disrepair' to the building. The president has decried a recent expansion of the complex, known as 'The Reach,' which features studios, rehearsal spaces and meeting facilities, and has suggested he would move to close up the spaces because they lack windows. He said Monday that he'd rather see an open-air performance space on the Potomac. The president's changes drew pushback from a variety of artists. The musical Hamilton responded to Trump's hands-on approach by canceling performances it had planned in March and April. Other performers — including actress and producer Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens — have similarly scrapped planned appearances. And with Trump planning to attend a performance of Les Miserables at the Kennedy Center on June 11, the show announced that many understudies may be performing then due to boycotts by cast members. The Kennedy Center opened in 1971 and for decades was seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts. Presidents typically nominate members of the Kennedy Center's board in consultation with members of Congress. After that, they often don't have a lot of contact with the center's leadership, except to attend the annual Kennedy Center Honors. 'You're one of America's most renowned living playwrights, and you're still writing strong,' Republican President Ronald Reagan said in 1984, addressing Author Miller, who was among that year's Kennedy Center honorees. It was an example of a Cold War commander in chief praising a writer who had well-known associations with communist-aligned groups. In 2019, the center hosted an exhibit of former Republican President George W. Bush's paintings. Trump became the first president to routinely skip attending the honors ceremony in his first term. Since returning to the White House, he's been far more aggressive and proactive — as he has on many policy and political fronts. He cited some drag show performances at the center as a reason to transform it entirely. 'Instead of putting forward programming that tears our country down and tears our country apart," Trump said, "the Kennedy Center should be the nation's premier venue for lifting up the best of our country and lifting up the American arts, music and culture.'
Perth Now
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Back to the Future 4 will ‘never' happen, writer Bob Gale insists
Screenwriter Bob Gale has once again insisted a fourth 'Back to the Future' movie will 'never' happen. The 73-year-old scribe - who created the beloved sci-fi trilogy with director Robert Zemeckis, 72 - has long stressed the 'Back to the Future' series is over, and has now emphasised that neither a prequel nor sequel will ever go ahead. Speaking at Universal Fan Fest Nights about a possible fourth film, Gale said: 'I don't know why they keep talking about that! I mean, do they think that if they say it enough times, we're going to actually do it? 'I mean, it's like they know in every interview people say, 'Oh Bob, when is there going to be a 'Back to the Future 4'?' Never. 'When is there going to be a prequel?' Never. 'When is there going to be a spinoff?' Never. 'It's just fine the way it is. It's not perfect, but as Bob Zemeckis used to say, 'It's perfect enough.'' Gale added it would involve some serious convincing from studio higher-ups for him and Zemeckis to budge on a fourth 'Back to the Future' movie, though was thankful that Steven Spielberg 'totally respects' their decision to leave the franchise be. The writer joked: 'If the juggernaut of corporate America or corporate international mishigas says, 'If you don't agree to this, we're going to kill your children', alright, well, no, we don't want our children killed. 'But Steven Spielberg, of course, he's got to sign off on it, too. And Steven, just like Steven won't allow another 'E.T.', he totally respects the fact that we don't want any more 'Back to the Future'. 'He gets it and always stood behind that. And thank you, Steven.' While 'Back to the Future's time on the screen may have come to an end, Gale added the franchise was still alive and well on the theatre stage with the musical adaptation of the first film. He said: 'We've made 'Back to the Future: The Musical,' which is still playing in London, it's on a U.S. tour. 'We just opened it in Tokyo in Japanese, and they're just as crazy, or crazier, over there about that whole 'Back to the Future' as anywhere else. 'So, I mean, I'm humbled and blown away by the fact that Bob and I came up with something that has this much staying power.' Looking back at the franchise as it celebrates its 40th anniversary, Gale said he was proud to have created such a beloved film series that remains popular to this day. He reflected: 'What's so great is seeing the next generation of kids that are being touched by this and [say], 'Gee, my parents were once kids.' 'That's why I think it keeps on going, because every kid comes to that realization at some point, and we made a movie about that. So I love the fact that people are newly discovering it.' 'Back to the Future' - which starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson - follows Marty McFly who accidentally travels back to 1955 in a time machine built by eccentric scientist Dr. 'Doc' Emmett Brown, and must ensure his parents fall in love to avoid erasing his own existence. The 1985 movie was followed by 'Back to the Future: Part II' in 1989, with the trilogy concluding a year later with 'Back to the Future: Part III'.
Axios
09-04-2025
- Climate
- Axios
Your week ahead: Broadway, laughs, minor league baseball
A stormy weekend warrants a relaxing weekday. ⚾️ Baseball games — Tuesday is opening night for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale. Catch a game any night Tuesday through Saturday as the team plays a six-game series against the Frisco RoughRiders. 🎭"Back to the Future: The Musical" — Limited tickets remain to see this on stage every night this week starting Tuesday at Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville.
