On Saturday night, Mills Entertainment is bringing Christopher Lloyd, known to a generation as Doc Brown from the "Back to the Future" trilogy, to the Riverside Theater for a first-ever event. Not only will the theater show fans the first blockbuster movie from 1985, but Lloyd will be on hand to take questions and speak about the experience of making the movies. Great Scott!
Most interestingly, Milwaukee is the first city to get this show. We caught up with both Lloyd and his producer, John Trembler, as well marketing coordinator Joanna Brumley, for a quick Q&A before Saturday’s show. Tickets for the 7 p.m. show are available here.
OnMilwaukee: What should Milwaukee expect from this event on Saturday?
Trembler and Brumley: It’s going to be pretty "heavy!" Mr. Lloyd will be live on stage, and he will answer audience questions and will share stories that people won’t get to hear anywhere else in any other setting. Before Christopher comes out on stage, the audience will first get to watch the original "Back to the Future." They’ll see Doc on screen then get to see him on stage in-person!
I recently read "We Don’t Need Roads: The Making of the Back to the Future Trilogy," and Mr. Lloyd, you contributed a lot to the book. Why, after all these years, are you still so engaged in the the movies and its fans?
Lloyd: It’s a huge thrill for me to feel how strongly the film still resonates with long-time fans and new generations of fans.
Christopher, you’re 77 now, but you’re still acting. How is your stage persona these days?
Lloyd: It’s great to be working regularly on all kinds of projects and to create new characters, such as in the film "Going In Style" coming out this year with Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.
Milwaukee is the only show in this event series right now, right? Why here, and what’s to come?
Trembler and Brumley: This is our inaugural tour date with Mr. Lloyd, and we’re looking to do many more … in the future. Milwaukee is one of our favorite cities to bring shows to.
How did this event come together? Obviously, 2015 was a big year for the franchise, but now we’re into 2016. Any plans on expanding it to include more of the cast?
Trembler and Brumley: This is one presentation from the Backlot Project presented by Mills Entertainment. Other Backlot Project live shows include "The Breakfast Club" with Molly Ringwald and "The Karate Kid" with Ralph Macchio. So, of course, including Christopher Lloyd, who played one of the most classic and favorite characters of all time in "Back to the Future" was a perfect choice for the Backlot Project.
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
