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The TikTok Musical: Ratatouille Takes Broadway by Storm
The TikTok Musical: Ratatouille Takes Broadway by Storm
The TikTok community collaborated on a virtual musical based on Disney/Pixar's Ratatouille, presenting a full performance to benefit The Actors Fund. The virtual benefit raised $1 million and gained attention from Broadway veterans and media outlets.
The creative journey began with user @e_jaccs, who uploaded a love ballad dedicated to the main character of Ratatouille in August. The song gained popularity when @danieljmertzlufft uploaded a new version of the video in October. This led to the creation of an account called @ratatouillemusical, which called for community submissions to bring the musical to life. Users contributed their ideas for the fictional musical, including additional numbers, sets, and dance routines. The musical theater community collaborated on the project using the hashtag #RatatouilleMusical, which has gained 227.1 million views to date.
The popularity of the fictional musical spread off-platform, gaining attention from Patton Oswalt, Brad Bird, Pixar, Disney, Playbill, Broadway World, and even the New York Times. What started as a community collaboration became a fully-fledged virtual Broadway show with the help of Broadway veterans. The show was developed in record time by artists, producers, and The Broadway Sinfonietta, with close collaboration with the TikTok creators who launched this phenomenon.
The premiere of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical on January 1st was a virtual benefit performance for The Actors Fund. It featured 10 songs sourced from TikTok and musical stars such as Wayne Brady, Adam Lambert, Andrew Barth Feldman, Ashley Park, André De Shields, Kevin Chamberlin, Mary Testa, Priscilla Lopez, and Tituss Burgess. The musical was adapted for the virtual benefit event by Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, choreographed by Ellenore Scott, and directed by Lucy Moss. The creative team included various TikTok creators who contributed music and lyrics.
The virtual red carpet event on Playbill.com, hosted by Broadway stars Luka Kain and Kristolyn Lloyd, featured pre-show interviews with actors, musicians, and others involved in launching this historic theatrical event. Each interview provided unique insight into the development of the musical and how TikTok enabled unprecedented collaboration during a global pandemic.
TikTok is offering an encore presentation of Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical on January 10th. Viewers can donate to The Actors Fund via an in-app donation sticker during the performance.
For more information about The Actors Fund, please visit here.