Back to the Future — Onstage!

London’s fabled West End is about to get retro about the future — because someone has built a musical out of a time machine! Back to the Future — the Musical will premiere overseas in 2015, and it works out, look for the movie-based production to head to Broadway at approximately 88 mph.

This is no poseur production, either: Original film director/co-writer Robert Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale will write the book, along with the play’s director, Jamie Lloyd. Alan Silvestri, who wrote the movie score, will create new songs along with Glen Ballard. (The stage production will, of course, also include those iconic Huey Lewis tunes, like “The Power of Love.”)

No word yet on the cast, but no original actors are likely to make the transatlantic jump to tread the boards.

Matt Smith Goes Psycho — ‘American Psycho’

What is former DOCTOR WHO star Matt Smith up to now? He is once again indulging his apparent love of playing crazy murderers by following up the Hollywood movie How To Catch a Monster with a London stage production of American Psycho, a musical based on Brett Easton Ellis’ satirical novel.

The blackhearted book was turned into a 2000 film starring Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) as Patrick Bateman, a 1980s businessman obsessed with the material trappings of success — and no qualms about murdering anyone who doesn’t meet his high personal standards.

The novel was adapted by Roberto Aguirre Sacasa (GLEE), with music and lyrics by Duncan Sheik. It is directed by Rupert Goold and running at London’s Almeida theater through Jan. 25.

DOCTOR WHO LIVE! Well, in the U.K., at least

Doctor Who Live, an elaborate stage production, has opened in Great Britain, and I cannot think of a better to pass the time until the Christmas Special than to spend it with the Doctor and a few of his best enemies, live onstage.

The good lifeforms at SFX.com have a behind-the-scenes video (go here to see it) that features clips from the show along with interviews with Smith and the creators. It looks like more fun than a barrel of Adipose!

Subtitled The Monsters Are Coming!, the premise of the production is that a showman called Vorgenson presents a tribute to the Doctor through his traveling menagerie, which features the redesigned Daleks, Cybermen, Judoon, Ood, Scarecrows, Silurians, Venetian vampires, Clockwork Robots, Smilers and even Weeping Angels. The show is billed as a thematic sequel to the Third Doctor story “Carnival of Monsters.” Since the Doctor has to get involved, I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest that something goes wrong.

Matt Smith, the 11th Doctor himself, is rumored to appear live in some performances. I don’t know if this has happened/will happen, but the 11th Doctor does appear in specially created video footage exclusively for the show (as you can see in the clip). Alas, no Amy Pond (Karen Gillan)? No Rory Pond (Arthur Darvill)? Perhaps they are too busy enjoying their honeymoon to bother with a zoo break-out.

I really wish this touring show would come to the USA, but I have to admit that DOCTOR WHO is probably not a high-profile enough property to sell enough tickets to justify the expense of an overseas sojourn. But can still hope that it will be successful enough in the U.K. to allow producers to bring a limited run to New York. It may not be “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy,” but I know I would buy tickets.