Arriving at The Plenary for the highly anticipated live scoring of Back to the Future from the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, I was immediately taken aback by the diversity of people who filled the venue, including families, hardcore BTTF fanatics, older couples and even some punters who had never seen the original. Clearly, the contemporary collaboration was a winner. And how could it not be? Back to the Future has captured the hearts of millions the world over. By the time renowned conductor Nicholas Buc took to the stage to kick things off, the atmosphere was electric with barely a spare seat in the house.
After a delightfully pun-heavy introduction from MC Paul Verhoeven, the screening was underway. The audience was told this wouldn’t be a typical performance from the MSO, and that we should feel free to become involved at any point. Any sense of trepidation was left at the door, because from the first mysterious notes of Alan Silvestri’s iconic score, the audience spontaneously erupted in applause. From here, the screening was filled with similar moments – and with the exception of one slightly overzealous man who insisted on quoting lines with increasingly poor timing – all of them genuinely enriched the experience.
As expected, the Buc-led Melbourne Symphony Orchestra gave an impeccable performance of Silvestri’s now iconic score. It did at times feel like their ability was set to autopilot. In saying this, the main theme was brought to life with all of the necessary triumph and vigour, and they similarly excelled in the tensely arranged clock tower sequence.
The performance featured roughly 20 minutes of material Silvestri composed specifically for these shows. While subtle, the fresh compositions redirected elements of the narrative in pleasing ways. Particularly, the reinterpreted love theme from the third film, which strengthened the connection between George and Lorraine and made their romance even more sincere.
Music is clearly an integral part of Back to the Future, and hearing it come to life in front of a live audience highlighted this tenfold. Likewise, while the film is a countlessly-watched classic, seeing it in this capacity – projected onto a large screen with a pitch-perfect interpretation from the orchestra – it felt like watching it for the first time. As conductor Nicholas Buc stated, this is the “opera of the 21st Century”. After this performance, I’m starting to see why.
BY JAMES DI FABRIZIO
Loved: The outburst of applause when George McFly lands the uppercut of a generation, right into Biff’s kisser.
Hated: Time has not been kind to the film’s depiction of Libyan terrorists.
Drank: A single can of JD and Coke.
