In the future, there’s nowhere to hide from your past. With book by David Mauk & Brenda Mandabach and music and lyrics by David Mauk, this wicked retelling of the classic novel by H.G. Wells features a troubled inventor who discovers a modern dystopia where machines are nonexistent and love is forbidden. Extraordinary events force him to venture underground where he must face the demons that control his future.

“There are no set endings,” says Thomas, the hero of David Mauk’s and Brenda Mandabach’s musical The Time Machine (directed by Justin Baldridge at The Acorn Theatre at Theatre Row). Based on the novel by H. G. Wells (who coined the term “time machine,” by the way), this NYMF production is delightfully inventive, whimsical, exciting, and touching. That doesn’t mean it’s perfect, but it does mean it’s a lovely adaptation of Wells’s novel – and an enjoyable experience for theatre-goers who like plays with a little sci-fi, a little steampunk, and a little romance. Broadway-alum Michael Hunsaker is brilliant as the young inventor (Thomas) who constructs the world’s first time machine but faces ridicule and danger when he tries to show it to the 1900 World’s Fair committee. Bright, brave, and refreshingly pure as a character, Hunsaker’s Thomas has an enthusiasm and child-like sense of wonder that renders him immediately endearing. Coupled with Hunsaker’s strong, forte vocals, it’s a recipe for narrative success. As Wenissa, the girl from the future who calls out to Thomas across 9,000 years, Bligh Voth is beautiful and resilient. Her purity of spirit matches that of Hunsaker’s character, …Read more