Arturo Hilario
El Observador
Liliana Rodriguez is an actor on the National Tour of Back to the Future: The Musical, coming to San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts June 2-7, 2026. Photo Credit: Broadway San Jose / Ian McCurdy
Nothing exemplifies the era of films from the 1980s quite like seeing the iconic shine of the stainless- steel DMC DeLorean time machine, the red vest of Michael J. Fox’s Marty McFly and unkept white hair of Doctor Emmett Brown.
The story, characters, and music all elevate the film from a simple piece of sci-fi entertainment to a part of people’s cherished nostalgia and a story about time that stands the test of time.
Back to the Future: The Musical takes the beloved story of a teenager and his eccentric doctor friend and their adventures through time and ultimately their duty to protecting their loved ones and integrates new original music, incredible stage effects and story details that add even more fun and context to the original film.
Featuring the original film’s songs like, “The Power of Love,” “Johnny B. Goode,” “Earth Angel,” and “Back in Time,” the show is certain to be a spectacle on the stage.
Coming for a limited time to San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts from Tuesday June 2 through Sunday, June 7, 2026, the show aims to please fans of musical theater, fans of the films, and pull in brand new fans of either format for a celebration of fun and the fantasy of time travel.
Recently I had the opportunity to speak to Liliana Rodriguez, an actor in the musical who is part of the ensemble and also has duties as Marty’s bandmate Laura Pinhead and the understudy for Jennifer Parker, (Marty’s girlfriend). She knows the show, the dances and the music very well.
Rodriguez was born and raised in Chicago, a first-generation Mexican-American whose immigrant parents felt education was one of the most important aspects for their child.
She says that early on she and her parents realized that she loved to sing and perform, and put her in a local fine arts school that eventually led her towards forging a career in the arts.
In the following conversation, find out more about her role in the show, her path towards the stage, why being a Latina artist has always been about representation and inspiring younger Latinos to dream, and why anyone coming to see Back to the Future: The Musical will have an unforgettable and lighthearted experience.
For more information on tickets and dates, please visit broadwaysanjose.com.
To start, could you touch on your experiences of getting into the performing arts and what sort of things inspired you to go on this path?
Yeah, absolutely. I think it was pretty obvious that at a young age I was very eccentric, to say the least. And so my parents, once they saw that I was singing in the backyard to the trees, they thought, “Maybe we should put her in classes.” So I grew up going to a studio in Chicago called Maywood Fine Arts where I was able to learn to dance and sing and act and just like really truly express myself. I’m so grateful to them because my parents are from Mexico and I’m first-generation Mexican-American, so they know nothing about the entertainment industry.
From there I moved to San Diego when I was 16 and I was able to start working professionally and kind of show my family that this was something that I wanted to do with the rest of my life. And then after a while I moved to New York and audition, audition, audition, audition. And then finally one day in September last year, I got an audition for the tour, and I was really excited and I went through many rounds of auditions with all the creatives and getting myself familiar with the material.
And about like a week or two later, I found out I booked it! So that was really, really exciting because this is the biggest thing that has ever happened in my career, and so I have been with the tour since December of 2025.
You were mentioning that you were first-generation. I was wondering how that affected your journey and what that experience like, navigating through that arts world to get on the stage?
Yeah, I think I definitely have a unique path. You know, I think a lot of people go to college for the arts and because I figured out pretty early on that this was something I wanted to do. I had a lot of people who saw something in me even when I didn’t see it in myself and wanted to invest their time into helping me, you know, continue to grow this.
My tía and my tío came and they don’t speak much English, but I think they absolutely loved the show, which is just such a power, that this show is for everyone, you don’t have to know everything about it to have a great time.
-Liliana Rodríguez
So it was definitely a difficult path at first because, you know, when you have immigrant parents, first-generation, like education is so important. And so I really had to show them that this was something that I could do professionally. So I started auditioning when I was still in high school, and I was able to do my final two years of high school actually at a performing arts high school to continue to learn and further the growth.
But honestly, it’s all the support system around me that has helped build me up and teach me these things that I kind of learned through mentorship to get to where I am today. So I’m very grateful. My parents are very supportive now and they’re very proud of where I’ve been able to go with this. But it was definitely off-putting at first.
And now have they seen you on stage for Back to the Future?
They did. They came to see us when we were in Tucson, which was really fun and it brought me a lot of joy. And my tía and my tío came and they don’t speak much English, but I think they absolutely loved the show, which is just such a power, that this show is for everyone, you don’t have to know everything about it to have a great time.
That’s the power of live art experiences like that, right?
Yeah, it’s all about the spectacle!
Could you talk a little bit about what attracted you to the show and what that experience has been so far, being on your first national tour?
I think what first attracted me to the show was how lively it was. I was able to see it while it was still on Broadway, and it is truly just the definition of spectacle. It’s so high energy, there’s so much talent, there’s so much amazing tech in the show. And so that definitely intrigued me. And, you know, there is so much dancing.
And as someone who— I just love dancing, and it’s such a beautiful outlet for me. That definitely attracted me because I wanted to be able to express myself in all those amazing ways. As for touring, you know, I’d never toured before, and it definitely, you know, gets hard sometimes, but I think It’s so cool to be able to go to all these different cities that I maybe wouldn’t have gone to without this opportunity and to explore it, get to see the people. People love this show and they love the movie and they love the legacy that is Back to the Future. So to meet so many people who are so passionate about it and just so encouraging, it’s lovely.
You’re mentioning people love the show. It’s based on the iconic film series and it explores different phases of America and even different timelines with the time machine. What do you think keeps this story, its characters and themes so popular after all these years? And, you know, how do you think the show captures that spark that makes it such a beloved story?
I think a lot of it has to do with the themes of the story. You know, it’s all about love and courage and, you know, failure before success. And on top of having, you know, obviously the fun elements of traveling back in time— who wouldn’t want to try that? I think that’s why its story lasts for so long. And so to be able to take that beloved movie and turn it into something that people can see live, is like just an incredible other level. And on top of that, it’s a musical! People are dancing and they’re singing and you’re never not going to be captivated and intrigued when watching it.
What’s it like working on the ensemble, as Laura Pinhead, and as an understudy for the role of Jennifer Parker?
Yeah, so I know it’s a lot. So I play Laura Pinhead and she’s a part of the band that Marty has, Marty and the Pinheads. So it’s definitely a super fun role and I get to shred it out on the keys because she plays the piano and I do obviously a lot of dancing in the show. I’d like to say that I’m in the air for a good amount of time, if I do say so myself. So that is, it’s so much fun and it’s so high energy and whenever I’m not on stage I’m changing so it makes the show just like always immersive.
And then I understudy Jennifer who is the girlfriend of Marty. And so whenever the girl who was playing her is sick or, you know, can’t do the show for some reason, they’ll ask me to do it. And I’ve learned it and it’s really sweet. She has these lovely numbers and she’s his support system. It’s a lot of fun to do both tracks. I love that I have the opportunity to learn and be two different parts, you know, it keeps things really fresh.
Besides the classic film soundtrack, there’s a lot of original music as well, right?
Yeah, so we have obviously like the classics. We have “Power of Love” and “Earth Angel” and “Back in Time” and all the very famous songs from the movie. We also have 16 new songs written for the show, and that would be by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard. They did the music and a lot of them are very unique and high energy, but they also really, I believe, like help move the story along in terms of telling Marty’s story, in terms of telling Doc’s story and everything that is surrounding it.
And I believe that the music flows so beautifully. We have recurring songs that are kind of like a little theme for Marty anytime he’s going through a specific time in his life, and it’s nice to be able to touch back on that stuff, especially because you’re going from the past to the present, like you get to stay with him.
What do you enjoy best about the production and working on it day in and day out?
I think my favorite parts would probably be obviously the people, you get to create like your own little family here that you kind of just tour with. And these, you know, everybody in the cast and crew kind of becomes your family because, you know, you pick up and go to a new place and that is the people that you see every day. So I think the community that is created there is really, really beautiful. And that’s why I love to go to work.
I love to see my friends and just like have a good time. But in terms of the show, I think I get so excited to be able to put my all into it, really. You know, it’s, it’s a very high-energy show, which means that you can kind of just leave it all on the stage, you know. But this isn’t something that is very like sorrow and sad and that will leave you like, you know, carrying it with you on your way home. But there’s so many opportunities for us as performers in this show to not only show our personalities but like really use every inch of your body to move.
Liliana, I wanted to ask, because you are Latina, what it means to be seen as an inspiration – because there is probably Latino children that are in the audiences and they see someone that looks like them and they might think they might want to do what you do when they grow up. How do you feel about that notion and possibly being an inspiration to others?
Honestly, that’s my main drive. I do this. You know, growing up especially, you know, we don’t get to see a lot of representation. And as we’ve furthered on, you know, I do believe that inclusivity and diversity has grown in the entertainment industry, but it still holds such a special part of my heart that there’s possibly someone out there who sees someone like me and gets intrigued in this.
Specifically for the Latino community, the entertainment industry and theater especially is not as popular, not as talked about. And so, to be able to show that people like us can do this and people who genuinely started at nothing. I started with no connections, right? My parents are immigrants. They know nothing about that.
That you can really start from the bottom and work your way to something that you really, really love and you’ve dreamed about for most of your life. And that’s my favorite too when we get to meet the people, seeing the little Latino kids, they’re so cute and they come in their little vests and to have that connection and to be that representation is something I don’t hold lightly and I carry it so much with me and everywhere I go.
And, you know, I try to include as much as I can in myself in this Back to the Future show, even if it’s just a little salsa here or a little something that I can throw in, you know. I love it.
My final question is, what do you hope audiences take away from watching Back to the Future?
I think what I hope they take away is the authenticity and the joy that comes behind the themes of love and courage and believing in yourself. I think those are beautiful themes throughout the show. That they hopefully leave in a beautiful mood and be able to leave the theater with a smile on their face. I would say that.
Thank you Liliana. If you have anything you’d like to add, please do.
I just would love if you come and support the arts, come and support this incredible show. I do believe that it’s enjoyable for all, especially if you haven’t seen the movie or don’t know much about it. Even specifically for the Latino community, even those that don’t speak much English, I promise you’ll still be able to enjoy it and have an incredible time.
