INTERVIEW: Eight shows a week, Jelani Remy jumps ‘Back to the Future’
Photo: Back to the Future: The Musical features Jelani Remy as Goldie Wilson. Photo courtesy of Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman / Provided by Polk & Co. with permission.
NEW YORK — There’s a bit of time travel happening on Broadway thanks to the new show Back to the Future: The Musical, based on the monumentally successful movie from the 1980s starring Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd. This stage adaptation features the same time-honored story, with Marty McFly (Casey Likes) heading back to the 1950s in a time-traveling DeLorean to seek the assistance of Doc Brown (Roger Bart).
One of the pivotal characters in the narrative is Goldie Wilson, who is seen working at the local diner in the 1950s and who eventually becomes the mayor of the town in the 1980s. Jelani Remy, an accomplished actor originally from New Jersey, portrays Wilson in both the before and after scenes (in addition to pulling double duty as Marvin Berry in the rock ‘n’ roll sequence).
Remy, who has appeared on Broadway in Ain’t Too Proud and The Lion King, came to the hit musical thanks to the audition process and a helpful agent.
“It was the good-old-fashioned audition,” Remy said in a recent phone interview. “I have a great agent who thought I’d be great for this role, and I was sort of nervous about auditioning because it’s an iconic movie. Oh my gosh, I have really big shoes to fill going into this, but I’m really happy I did because as I got more and more comfortable with the material, I realized what a great role it is. I get to do some comedy. I get to also be super-uplifting with Goldie’s message of you’ve ‘Gotta Start Somewhere,’ which is how I fell in love with the role by hearing that song over and over and over again. So I auditioned, and then I got called in to a dance call and fell in love with the choreography. And then I fell in love with the acting chops and hoped and prayed that I would get the role, but didn’t hear back for a few months because they were overseas casting as well. London had to sign off on everything, but I found out right before Christmas, which is really exciting.”
Remy referenced his show-stopping number in Act I called “Gotta Start Somewhere.” The song is arguably the musical’s strongest tune, one that almost instigates a standing ovation on a nightly basis. More than anything else, the lyrics to the number serve as an overall message for Back to the Future, and Goldie is the man who delivers those positive vibes.
“What I love most about playing Goldie is his energy,” Remy said. “It’s the energy of the underdog. It’s him telling George [McFly] that, ‘Hey, I see what’s going on, but you can turn it around.’ That’s the story of his life, of becoming the mayor. You’re working at the diner, but then all of a sudden something sparks in him that has always been in there; it just needed a little push. That’s sort of like a life message. There’s always wonderful things you can do, but sometimes you need a little spark. It doesn’t matter where you end up as long as you start, and I think it’s really fun to have that message that I tell George. But then it becomes this number that I talk to the audience, and it becomes about them and the ensemble — everybody. Now we’re in this congregation together, and it’s that inspirational wildfire that grows. I get to carry that torch, which is a cool responsibility, but also it’s a fun message I get to spread out to the world.”
The actor added: “I just thought it was a great gospel song. The staging also kept evolving during tech. They kept trying things. I don’t want to give too much away, but we tried some new things that have been added to the Broadway production that have been really successful and really helped take it to the next level. We got to play. We got to play vocally. We got to play choreographically, and the best idea won. … I get to check in with everybody. We get to lock eyes and smile or do a little dance move and connect. That’s what the audience feels. We’re all connected as a family, as a Back to the Future family, and especially in that song. It’s one of our favorites, so the energy is through the roof.”
Remy has appeared in a great number of shows throughout the years. Some of his highlights include High School Musical, Smokey Joe’s Café, Apple Boys and Cabaret. He’s also a proud alum of the Paper Mill Playhouse Rising Star program, a bullet point on his résumé that speaks to his early years growing up in New Jersey.
He remembers that childhood in the Garden State, and he remembers watching the movie that inspired his return to Broadway. So, this is quite the full-circle moment for the actor-singer-dancer.
“I did watch Back to the Future with my siblings,” he said. “I definitely came to the show having an idea of it; however, this show is a love letter to the fans of the movie, so it’s a big responsibility. People are coming dressed up as Marty, dressed as Doc, dressed up as the clocktower lady. It’s a huge responsibility to bring this to life, but then you mix in this special Broadway flair that I love more than anything, and it’s the perfect recipe. … It’s definitely nerve-wracking. Nerves mean that you care, and we care so much about this. It’s been a blessing since the first rehearsal.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Back to the Future: The Musical, featuring Jelani Remy, continues on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre. Click here for more information and tickets.
