The DeLorean has been parked at the Bristol Hippodrome since 8 October, and it is staying until 21 November, because Bristol got the first stop on the first ever UK tour of Back To The Future The Musical. That is a big deal for the West Country. For 5 years the only place in Britain to see this show was the Adelphi Theatre in London, and that run ended on 12 April this year, so anyone in Bristol has 5 weeks left to see it without getting on a train to somewhere else.
- Where: Bristol Hippodrome, St Augustine’s Parade, Bristol BS1 4UZ.
- Run: Thursday 8 October to Saturday 21 November 2026.
- Tonight’s show: Monday 19 October, 7:30pm, with 48 more dates on the Facebook listing after this week.
- Box office: 0333 009 6690.
The Facebook listing has tonight’s show finishing at 9:45pm. The London version ran 2 hours 40 minutes with one interval, though, so we would plan on getting out closer to 10:10pm, which matters if you are catching the last train home to Bath or Weston.
Roger Bart Has Played Doc Brown In Every Big City It Has Opened In
The best news for Bristol is who is in the white coat. Roger Bart is playing Doc Brown in Bristol, and he is the man who created the role, in Manchester, the West End, on Broadway, where he was nominated for a Tony, and in Sydney. He already has a Tony from 1999 for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, and a lot of people will know his face from Desperate Housewives as well.
Marty is Axel Duffy, an Australian who played Marty opposite Bart in Sydney, so the 2 of them have done this together before. Here is the rest of the main cast:
| Character | Who is playing them |
|---|---|
| Doc Brown | Roger Bart |
| Marty McFly | Axel Duffy (Arthur Janes at some shows) |
| George McFly | James Oliver |
| Lorraine Baines | Danielle Rose |
| Biff Tannen | Toby Shellard |
| Jennifer Parker | Tash Bacarese-Hamilton |
| Goldie Wilson and Marvin Berry | Brandon Lee Sears |
| Strickland | Rhys Owen |
Roger Bart is only booked for Bristol, Edinburgh and Liverpool. Brian Conley takes over as Doc in Milton Keynes in February, and the Docs for the rest of the tour have not been named yet, so if it is Bart you want, Bristol is the closest he gets to the South West.
It Started In Manchester In 2020, Weeks Before Everything Shut
People forget this show began outside London. It opened at the Manchester Opera House in February 2020, and then Covid closed every theatre in the country a few weeks later. It came back in the West End in 2021, won the Olivier Award for Best New Musical, and by the time it closed at the Adelphi it had been seen by more than 2.3 million people. Around the world the number is over 5.5 million, with productions in Japan and Germany and one on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.
Bob Gale, who co-wrote the 1985 film with Robert Zemeckis, wrote the book for the musical, and Alan Silvestri, who did the film score, wrote the new songs with Glen Ballard. The Power of Love and Johnny B. Goode are both in it, so the 2 songs everyone walks in waiting for do turn up.
Then there is the DeLorean, which is the reason half the audience goes. Bob Gale calls the illusions “next-level state-of-the-art”, and the producer Colin Ingram says it is one of the most technically ambitious shows ever to tour the UK and Ireland. We will not say what happens at the end, but the poster gives you a clue.
Where It Goes After Bristol
Missed Bristol? The tour is booked well into 2027:
- Edinburgh Playhouse, 2 December 2026 to 2 January 2027
- Liverpool Empire, 12 January to 6 February 2027
- Milton Keynes Theatre, 9 to 27 February 2027
- Birmingham Hippodrome, 9 March to 10 April 2027
- Sunderland Empire, 13 April to 8 May 2027
- Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, 11 May to 5 June 2027
- Mayflower Theatre, Southampton, 8 June to 3 July 2027
- Manchester Opera House, 13 July to 21 August 2027
- Theatre Royal, Plymouth, 24 August to 11 September 2027
- Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff, 19 October to 13 November 2027
Manchester in July is a nice touch, because that is the stage it all started on 7 years earlier. For Bristol people, though, Cardiff is a year away and Plymouth is next August, so the Hippodrome before 21 November is the easy one.
Before You Book A Seat At The Hippodrome
- In London the show was for ages 6 and over, and under 4s were not let in, so check the Hippodrome’s age guidance on the ATG page before booking for small children.
- Book through ATG Tickets, the Hippodrome’s own box office, or call 0333 009 6690, so you are not paying a resale price.
- The Arthur Janes performances as Marty are at selected shows, so check the cast board on the night if you have your heart set on Axel Duffy.
- Leave time for the end. A 7:30pm start that runs to about 10pm is late for a school night, so check the listing for matinee dates if you are bringing children.
So who is going? If you have already been in the first 2 weeks, we would like to know if the DeLorean lived up to the poster.