Earlier this month, Marty McFly and Doc Brown became Broadway stars for the first time with the arrival of Back to the Future: The Musical to New York City. After the show got its start in Manchester, England in 2020, it premiered at the Winter Garden Theatre on August 3 and is currently going to keep running into early next year. Amidst this, the show’s Marty McFly actor, Casey Likes, shared his sweet encounter with Michael J. Fox last month.
Michael J. Fox is, of course, the original Marty McFly who really brought the role of a teen who travels back to the ‘50s to meet his parents at his age to life. 21-year-old Casey Likes recently recalled getting to meet the Back to the Future star while at a gala in July for the musical. In his words:
It was kind of a whirlwind. got to briefly meet him and while we’re taking pictures, I kind of whispered to Michael, ‘Thank you for everything. Thanks for inspiring everything.’ He kind of means more to me than just his performance. … I was just kind of trying to let him know that while we were taking pictures. He was very open and very kind about it. He was very much putting the attention on me in a very humble way. Right before he left, I realized I hadn’t asked him the question I wanted to ask him. So I caught up to him and I said, ‘Michael, do you have any advice for me before I go out on stage?’
While speaking to People, Likes recalled the encounter on a night where Christopher Lloyd and Leah Thompson, along with musician Huey Lewis and the movie’s director Robert Zemeckis, were in attendance. As he continued:
And he said, ‘Kick ass! If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.’ And then a minute later, I was walking through the door and I was on stage.
How sweet! As you may recall, Fox was quoting a line in Back to the Future that is a Doc Brown saying. It sounds like it was the perfect way for the Broadway actor to be passed the torch of the role in one of the best sci-fi movies of all time. You can check out Casey Likes portraying Marty McFly for theater on Good Morning America last week below:
I Decided To Watch The Back To The Future Movies With My Dad And It Was The Best Experience Ever
Clearly Back to the Future: The Musical is a bit of a different thing than the ‘80s movie, but it certainly pays tribute to Michael J. Fox’s role through a new medium. The filmmakers of the beloved trilogy have been adamant over the years about Hollywood not rebooting the movies, but a musical is the next best thing, right? It’s especially great to see the original cast be involved as the musical comes to Broadway. Lloyd also previously helped celebrate the announcement of the musical heading to NYC as well.
In the musical, Doc Brown is played by Roger Bart, who debuted the role in Manchester along with Hugh Coles’ George McFly, who also moved to the Broadway production. Casey Likes is the second Marty McFly after Olly Dobson began the role across the pond. Before Back to the Future: The Musical, Likes made his Broadway debut in Almost Famous: The Musical, which is yet another Broadway show based on a famous movie.
We’re even more excited about Likes being in the Marty McFly role after his moment with Marty McFly. What an amazing moment!