Back to the Suture

Back to the Suture is a musical comedy inspired by the classic film Back to the Future, but with a medical twist.

Marty and Martina are two stressed-out medical students tasked with finishing an assignment given by their consultant Biff, a bigoted chauvinist who’s drunk on his own authority. Doc, a mad genius who's often mistaken for a homeless man living on Grafton bridge, is Marty’s so-called “friend”, and surprises him with a time machine he built. Following an unfortunate series of events, Marty and Martina are sent back to the 1960’s.

They infiltrate the old chaotic hospital wards, desperate to finish their assignment and race against time to return to the present. Along the way, they encounter dangerous and outdated medical practices of the past, forcing them to battle not only those around them, but each other for priority of their problems. Marty confronts his Māori identity, suppressed behind his go-with-the-flow attitude to a prejudiced system. Martina navigates being a woman in a male-dominated field of historical medicine, despite her prideful denial of the importance of those who came before her.

Ultimately their journey in the past shapes the future, and upon returning to the present, they learn the importance of resisting society’s prejudices and becoming catalysts for the change they wish to see in the medical world.

Back to the Suture is supporting MSF (doctors without borders) this year and is taking place at the SkyCity Theatre in Auckland between the 14th-16th of August 2025, 7:30 to 10:30 pm, with tickets now available at medrevue.co.nz.