In 1985, the hit movie “Back to the Future” captivated audiences and was a breakout role for actor Michael J. Fox. The film earned four Golden Globe nominations and received one Oscar for sound editing.

Now, the story of Marty McFly has reemerged with “Back to the Future: The Musical,” which had a successful run in London and on Aug. 3 opened at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City. The musical version is based on the original script by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis.

Gale, 72, a Jewish University City native, recently provided the Jewish Light with a glimpse into the making of a Broadway production.

“Back to the Future: The Musical” opened on Broadway one month ago. What was it like on opening night to experience your best-known work in a new medium?

It was extraordinary to actually be among 1,400 people in a major Broadway theater, but as heady as it was, that very first preview in Manchester was the most gratifying and euphoric because, although there was still work to be done, it was the very first audience to experience it, and those 1,800 or so folks in that theater loved every minute of it.  It was an extraordinary high and it’s something I enjoy every time I attend a performance, as each new audience experiences it for their first time.

Both the movie and the stage version feature an iconic “Back to the Future” device—the Delorian and memorable music. Did this medium allow you to take advantage of the latter?

We wanted to tell the story of “Back to the Future” using the tools of musical theater, and I think everyone would agree that the result exceeded even our expectations.  There’s nothing like live theater.

The movie used music to great effect in 1985, with hit songs like Huey Lewis’ “The Power of Love.” Was your intention with the stage version to take full advantage of that aspect of musical theater?

Four songs from the movie are in the show: “The Power of Love,” “Back in Time,” “Earth Angel,” and “Johnny B Goode.”  The Huey Lewis songs are iconic to the movie, and the other two are actually part of the story.  So there was no way those four songs weren’t going to be in the show.

Does “Back to the Future: The Musical” have any stage sets inspired by University City, like the lion statues at Lyon Estates in the movie?

The only U. City reference in the show is that, as in the movie, the Hill Valley High School sports team is called The Bulldogs, which was the team at Brittany Junior High School which I attended. The show actually has a Bulldog chant and the Broadway version has a short “fight song” as well.

What advice would you offer to a University City teenager who aspires to work in the entertainment industry?

Learn how to deal with rejection because you’re going to get a lot of it — more than you can imagine.