Broadway in Tucson Review 'Back to the Future: The Musical'

 

"Back to the Future: The Musical" somehow makes a sci-fi story from 1985 seem ahead of its time in 2026.

Bolstered with a mind-blowing away of rotating stagecraft orchestrated with dizzying lighting, booming sound and sizzling projections, the musical makes the special effects wonders of the film seem as crude as shadow puppets by comparison. I tend to be a purist who sees projections as a crutch, preferring old school practical effects, but the visual pyrotechnics are crucial to immersing the audience into the story's array of time travel wizardry.

Based on the iconic Robert Zemeckis film, the touring show is the extension of the show that dazzled London audiences and seized the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical in 2022 before making its way to Broadway for an 18-month run.

Key to setting the tone is the intro's adaptability. An opening map shows the current time and location before zapping you over to 1985 Hill Valley, California, where Marty McFly begins his Oedipal journey to 1955.

The cast is as finely tuned as the audiovisual goodies. Lucas Hallauer delivers Michael J. Fox levels of squeaky-voiced charisma in the lead role, and David Josefsberg captures the manic exuberance of Christopher Lloyd. The character's surrogate father-son dynamic is the endearing emotional core to the wacky, jigsaw-puzzle story. It's also hard not to catch a strong whiff of "Rick and Morty," which was heavily inspired by the trilogy.

In less showy, somewhat thankless roles, Nathaniel hackann and Kathryn Adeline provide crafty dual roles as Marty's world-wary parents in 1985 and their goofy teen 1955 versions. Ross Thompson also shines as the buffoonish Biff. Were the world mine, we would see this entire cast return for stage adaptations of the other two films in the trilogy.

While the running time is a tad bloated at 160 minutes, the puffy song and dance numbers are too much fun to turn away. Each adds a shade of pathos that was missing from the original text, allowing characters to step out of themselves and consider their plights and drives. In particualar, "It's Only a Matter of Time" amd "For the Dreamers" hit with an emotional wallop.

"Back to the Future: The Musical" starts strong out of the gate, cranks in 1.21 gigawatts through the intermission and lights the streets afire for a final act that reaches levels of goosebumped revelry. Time machines may not exist, but the musical shows that time travel, through the power of storytelling, is an embedded truth. For those 160 minutes, you'd swear you were back in 1985.

"Back to the Future: The Musical" plays through Sunday at Centennial Hall. Buy tickets here.

Game Review: 'WWE 2K26' on Switch 2

You can feel the impact before the bell even rings. There’s a specific weight to the way the ring ropes react when a 300-pound powerhouse leans against them, a subtle tension that WWE 2K26 nails with obsessive detail. After years of the franchise finding its footing, Visual Concepts hasn't just delivered a great wrestling game. They’ve crafted a simulation that captures the chaotic, high-drama soul of sports entertainment.

The first thing that hits you is the Dynamic Momentum System. In previous years, matches often felt like a series of disconnected moves. Now, every strike and grapple feeds into a fluid narrative. If you spend the first five minutes working over an opponent's leg, they don't just limp in a canned animation; their entire moveset changes. Their vertical leap for a dropkick is stunted, and their ability to sustain a bridge during a pinfall is compromised. It’s the kind of systemic depth that makes every match feel like a unique story unfolding in real-time.

But the real magic this year, and the thing I couldn't stop testing, is the parity across platforms. For the first time in the series' history, the handheld experience isn't a "scaled-back" afterthought. Playing WWE 2K26 on the Nintendo Switch 2 is a revelation. Whether I was playing on a high-end rig or in the palm of my hand, the performance was rock-solid. The lightning-fast load times and high-fidelity textures hold up remarkably well, proving that the hardware gap is finally closing. There is zero compromise here; the sweat beads, the pyro smoke, and the 20,000-person crowds look just as vibrant on the Switch 2's screen as they do on any other console.

The MyRISE mode has also seen a significant overhaul. Instead of a linear path to the top, the branching narratives feel genuinely consequential. One choice in a backstage interview can spark a year-long rivalry that culminates in a Hell in a Cell match at WrestleMania. The writing is sharper, and the voice acting from the actual WWE Superstars adds a level of authenticity that was occasionally missing in the past. It feels less like a grind and more like a living, breathing career.

The Creation Suite remains the gold standard for the genre. The new AI texture mapping allows you to upload a photo and see it realistically wrapped onto a character model with terrifying accuracy. Whether you’re recreating legends from the 80s or putting yourself in the main event, the tools are more intuitive than ever. I spent three hours just messing with the new Arena Architect mode, which lets you customize everything from the lighting rigs to the specific acoustics of the venue.

If I have one minor gripe, it’s that the menu interface can still feel a bit cluttered, but that’s a small price to pay for the sheer volume of content provided. Between the expanded Universe Mode and the return of a highly polished MyGM, there is enough here to keep a wrestling fan busy until 2K27.

WWE 2K26 is the pinnacle of the series. It’s a game that respects the history of the business while pushing the technical boundaries of modern hardware. Whether you’re a technical wizard who wants to master every reversal or a casual fan who just wants to see two titans clash, this is the definitive wrestling experience. Step through the curtain and take your place in the spotlight. You won't regret it.

Publisher provided review code.

Game Review: 'Jaleco Sports: Bases Loaded II: Second Season,' 'Jaleco Sports: Goal! 2'

 

Coming on the heels of November's superb rereleases of Bases Loaded, a game that I go way back with, and Goal, Rock It Games is digging deep into the vault to keep the Jaleco Sports series moving and the latest additions are a heavy hit of nostalgia for anyone who spent their weekends hunched over a NES controller. Bases Loaded II: Second Season and Goal! Two have officially landed on modern consoles for a crisp $7.99 and they bring that distinct 8-bit charm that defined an era of sports simulations. It is a bold move in a market saturated with hyper-realistic graphics but there is something undeniably pure about these retro experiences that modern titles often lose in their complexity.

Bases Loaded II remains a fascinating relic of baseball history because it actually tried to push the genre forward with more realistic camera angles and faster play than its predecessor. Back in the Nintendo Entertainment System era this was the gold standard for many fans. 

It captures that specific magic where every pitch feels like a duel even if the sprites are blocky by today's standards. The "Second Season" moniker was not just marketing fluff either as the game introduced a deeper sense of progression and refined mechanics that made every inning feel like it actually mattered. On the modern Switch hardware the colors pop with a certain neon intensity that reminds you why we fell in love with these pixels in the first place. Over on the grass pitch side of things, Goal! Two is a massive win for soccer fans because it actually bundles four different versions of the experience. 

You get the US and European NES releases along with the Japanese Famicom original and even the Super Nintendo classic Super Goal! 2. Having that SNES title included adds a much needed layer of 16-bit depth to the package and shows the evolution of the series from simple sprites to more detailed athletic animations. It is a comprehensive history lesson in a single download and seeing the subtle regional differences between the versions is a treat for gaming historians and casual fans alike. What makes these Rock It Games releases feel special isn't just the roms themselves but the modern bells and whistles they've added to ensure playability. 

They’ve included a clever VHS rewind feature that lets you fix a bad swing or a missed save which takes the sting out of that notorious old school difficulty. There is also a retro TV CRT filter that makes your 4K screen feel like a dusty Zenith from 1989 and it really completes the atmosphere. 

For the competitive crowd there are monthly leaderboards that turn these solo adventures into a global fight for the top spot. Michael Devine and his team are clearly committed to preserving this history and these two titles prove that classic sports games still have plenty of life left in them. 

The value proposition here is hard to ignore for the price of a fancy coffee. 

You aren't just getting a port but a curated experience that respects the source material while acknowledging that modern players want a few conveniences. The internal logic of these games still holds up remarkably well. Bases Loaded II requires a level of timing and plate discipline that would make a modern pro sweat and Goal! Two demands tactical positioning that belies its simple control scheme. They are reminders that gameplay loop was king during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras and these versions maintain that crown perfectly. 

Rock It Games is positioning itself as a champion of developer involvement and gaming history preservation. By bringing these Jaleco gems to the Switch and PlayStation 5 they are ensuring that a new generation of players can understand the foundations of the sports genre. It is about more than just high scores or digital reality as it is about the feeling of a perfect pixelated home run or a last second goal that clears the screen. 

If you have any affinity for the golden age of sports gaming these additions to the Jaleco Sports series are essential plays. They are honest fun and sometimes that is exactly what we need between the massive hundred hour RPGs and intense online shooters that dominate the current landscape.

Publisher provided review codes.