Review: Biff To the Future at Northern Stage

“…camp, crazy, plutonium-fuelled nostalgia…”

Biff To the Future by Joseph Maudsley, Northern Stage

By Lauren Powell

What a wacky night. 

This is exactly what it says on the tin: Back to the Future told by the bad guy Biff (performed by the writer, Joseph Maudsley). I think you will already know if you want to go and see this just based on the premise – one man shows about forty-year-old film franchises aren’t everyone’s cup of tea after all. But if for some reason you are on the fence, let me give you my take.

If you haven’t seen Back to the Future and its sequels then this will make zero sense and you’ll be in for a confusing night. The upside of this is that if you haven’t seen the films, this is a great excuse to watch them and you’ll have a leg up on the rest of us who haven’t seen them since we were teenagers (nothing makes you feel your age like looking around at an audience full of forty-somethings and realising you’re one of them). 

The show is hilarious, high energy, madcap and loaded with audience participation. When you’re booking your tickets, the closer to the stage the better, in my humble opinion. You might get picked on to play Marty, a stray tooth might ping onto your lap, but I believe you’ll get the most out of it if you’re right amongst it.

Normally I’d describe the plot in more detail, but it’s one of those rare moments when I recommend you just strap in and let the chaos wash over you. The most interesting thing about the show is wondering how Maudsley is going to portray the next character or scene. You will not be bored, the show is powered by props, sound effects and aggressive miming. 

I found myself laughing out loud at the jokes and the absurdity. It was also very ‘safe for work’, with very franchise-appropriate levels of implied sex and violence, so this will be an ideal night out for millennials and their older kids. It’s camp, it’s crazy, and if Joseph Maudsley isn’t in the best shape of his life by the end of the run thanks to his sheer amount of movement at each performance, I’ll eat my hat! At the end of the show he thanked us all for coming and mentioned that not everywhere has sold out yet, so this is your chance. Get yourself, your siblings, your childhood best friends and even those school pals that you have on Facebook – who still live locally but you never actually see in person – tickets and bask in an hour of plutonium-fuelled nostalgia.

Biff To the Future plays at Northern Stage on Sunday 08 March.

Lauren Powell is a recovering academic from the North East of England. Currently residing in South Shields with her partner and two malevolent gerbils. Lauren is a short form writer who writes fiction as well as reviews. She has loved the theatre since childhood, and many years ago volunteered back stage with an amateur group, Stage Focus.  From one man readings to musical and beyond, Lauren can not get enough! You can find her on Twitter/X here.