Interview: BACK TO THE FUTURE THE MUSICAL's Mikaela Secada Talks Broadway Debut, Performing for Michael J. Fox & More

Mikaela Secada is currently making her Broadway debut as Jennifer in Back to the Future: The Musical. 

Mikaela's previous stage credits include Nicola in Kinky Boots (Bucks County Playhouse), Beastgirl (The Kennedy Center), A Crossing (Barrington Stage Co.), Carla in In The Heights (MTWichita), Consuelo West Side Story (Lexington Theatre Co.), Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, Helene in Sweet Charity (UofM). Her television credits include The Endgame (NBCUniversal), Lioness (Paramount+). 

In the latest edition of BroadwayWorld's Debut of the Month, Secada discusses growing up as a fan of Back to the Future, performing for Michael J. Fox, fun backstage moments, andmuch more. 

Read the full interview and check out photography by BroadwayWorld's own Jennifer Broski below!

What were your first thoughts when you learned you would be making your Broadway debut in Back to the Future the Musical?

My first thoughts were, “Oh my god, I’m so glad that my mom was a child of the ‘80s and showed me this movie at a very young age.” I feel like that’s what gave me a really good grasp on the show. Even going into the audition process, I felt like it was so close to home. I felt like I grew up with the subject matter, the material of the show. So when I finally got it, I was just grateful for the position I was in to begin with. And the fact that I would be making my Broadway debut, it was kind of like a pinch-me moment. Because it was something I had been working so hard for for such a long time. I was 14 or 15 years old, when I realized that I wanted to do musical theatre. So, it was a dream come true moment, I couldn’t stop shaking and sweating and screaming.

What has been the most exciting and/or surprising part for you about making your Broadway debut with Back to the Future?

Surprising and exciting was being able to do the show for Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Leah Thompson, and Huey Lewis. Doing the show for the original cast of the movie was very exciting, and it was very fulfilling. It’s such an iconic film, and these actors put such a stamp on these characters that seeing that seeing them watch us do it was definitely really exciting. It was like, “Oh my god, Michael J. Fox kind of knows who I am! I’m not just an anonymous person to him!” It was kind of wild.

Another really exciting thing about doing this show is the audiences in general. Kids, fans of the show, parents, super theatre fans, it’s a dream to be able to do this show and make them so happy. And seeing people at the stage door every single night is probably the best part of my day, just how happy they are. And the show is so uplifting, it's such a heartwarming show. It fills people’s hearts with joy, which is what life is all about. So, I think that’s been something really exciting for me too.

What has it been like working with this company?
 

It sounds so cliché, but we have really become a family. From the cast, to the people in the crew, wardrobe, wigs, lighting, everyone. The creative team has been so supportive and uplifting. And even in the hardest of moments, everyone is just there to make each other smile and laugh, and hold each other up. It really does feel like we have established a family bond at this point.

We’ve been doing all these fun things backstage to keep things interesting and fun. We recently just had a backstage bar crawl, so each dressing room hosted a different cocktail or mocktail that they wanted to provide. And that took me back to college, because it just felt like, 'Let’s just let loose, we are professionals together but we are also friends and colleagues, and hopefully we will be around each other for a very long time.'

It was so much fun, especially when you get to know people you that you don’t really get to talk to during the show. Sometimes when you’re in a certain track, it’s more difficult to interact and socialize with people. For example, there was someone in sound design that I hadn’t met but had been hearing my voice for the past two months, and I was like, “Oh my god, it’s so nice to finally meet you and put a face to the name and just enjoy each other’s company!” It’s been really amazing.

Do you have a favorite part about the character of Jennifer?

What I really love about the character is that she is Marty’s foundation. She grounds Marty, she brings him back to reality. Something about Marty’s character that makes the show so interesting is that he is literally flying from place to place, and in certain scenes in the show he’s a fly on the wall. There is a moment in the show where Marty is terrified that he’s not going to be able to make it back, and it’s a reprise of the song we sang in the beginning, and there is this little glimmer of hope, which is the fact that my character, Jennifer, tells him, “Wherever we’re going it’s alright with me."

It’s a lyric from the show and it’s kind of symbolic of being a teenager, and your whole future is ahead of you. You have all these dreams, and you sometimes have a person you love, or someone that you want to be with for the rest of your life, and it’s just endless possibilities. And that’s what keeps you grounded. So that’s something I love about Jennifer, she’s a symbol of hope and possibility for Marty in the future.

What do you remember most about opening night of the show?

Oh my god, it was such a blur! I remember after we finished the show, after curtain call, we all stayed on stage, and the whole creative team, and actors from the original cast of the movie all came on stage. We had our opening night gala performance, and then we had opening night press opening, but our opening night gala performance was kind of our commemorative, cut the ribbon, celebration show. And following that performance was a gala fundraiser for Michael J. Fox’s foundation, supporting people who have Parkinson’s disease. And it was so beautiful. We had a serious of speeches, and I couldn’t stop crying, I was just crying off my professionally-done makeup [laughs].

They pointed out Michael sitting in the audience, and it was so emotional, because to see all of these people that I grew up watching... and I had the biggest crush on Michael J. Fox growing up, regardless of my age! So, it was such a full circle, crazy, beautiful moment. The icing on the cake and the cherry on top was that we were raising money for a good cause. It just felt so pure and wholesome, and we were surrounded by our friends and family, and people who supported us along the way, I’m speaking for myself and for the rest of the cast. That was probably something that I’m going to hold in my heart for the rest of my life, is how iconic that moment was.

What do you want to tell people who are planning to come see Back to the Future The Musical?

If you are planning to come see Back to the Future the Musical, be prepared to hear and enjoy all your favorite moments and lines from the movie, but also be prepared to laugh, and be surprised by the way that musical theatre puts a twist on it. I feel like when you’re putting a movie on stage, and if something is done successfully, it’s not only to recreate it, but to turn it into something new. And there are so many moments in the show through the songs, and through the situational comedy of the story, that are just so funny. It’s going to be everything you know and love about the movie, but make it ten times more ridiculous and hilarious.

Photo credit: Jennifer Broski