GREAT SCOTT! "BACK TO THE FUTURE THE MUSICAL" FLYING INTO THE BUSHNELL

Fascination with time travel, going backward to Greek tragedy or the Civil War or forward to embrace Star Trek’s science fiction magic, is fairly universal in its appeal. Most people, even though with a heathy dose of skepticism and fear, would jump at the opportunity to experience it if offered the chance. Just ask Marty McFly, a brave teenage Lucas Hallauer, who jumps at the prospect when his friend, David Josefsberg’s scientific minded Doc Brown offers him the ride of a lifetime.

To witness this incredible journey through time and space, run as fast as you can to the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford for “Back to the Future The Musical” with book by Bob Gale and music and lyrics by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, based on the wildly successful movie by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale until Sunday, June 8.

One minute it’s 1985 and Doc Brown has created a real genuine, honest to goodness time machine, in a magical DeLorean car, with a flux capacitor and plutonium for a nuclear reaction power source, needed to travel 88 miles per hour. All Doc Brown needs now for his giant science experiment is someone to drive the car and make it happen. Fortunately it looks like Marty is the man for the job, his name is McFly for heaven’s sake.

Doc Brown has decided that traveling back thirty years is the best date to navigate which ironically lands Marty at a time when his parents George, Mike Bindemann, and Lorraine, Zan Berube, are in high school and haven’t yet met. Complications arise when George is bullied by Nathaniel Hackmannn’s Biff and Lorraine fancies herself infatuated with Marty. Meanwhile Marty has to be careful not to disturb or change anything that will influence the future and also the minor issue of how the heck does he get home, and back to 1985.

Have no fear, the Doc is on the case and has ideas about a clock tower, a lightning storm, a high school prom and Marty’s wicked good guitar playing skills. With fingers crossed, and toes too, Marty will get back to the future to his girl friend Jennifer, Sophia Yacap, and he will transform the lives of his family in positive and happier ways. Tunes like “Future Boy,” “Something About That Boy,” :For the Dreamers.” “The Power of Love,” and “Back inTime” keep the story sailing forward. John Rando directs this exciting and unique journey.

For tickets ($43.50 and up ), call the Bushnell, 166 Capitol Avenue, Hartford at 860-987-5900 or online at bushnell.org. Performances are today at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Friday at 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Come early and gaze with envy at the DeLorean car parked just outside the Bushnell’s doors so you can dream about where in the world you’d travel, backward or forward in time, if only given the chance.