BWW Blog: RATATOUILLE: THE TIKTOK MUSICAL Was Surprising and Unexpected

Someone once told me, "Great art is both surprising and unexpected," and I believe that is the best way to describe "Ratatouille: The TikTok" Musical. This show started as a meme on TikTok and turned into a musical benefiting the actor's fund. Since I've been following this musical since the early days, I immediately bought my ticket, and on New Years Day, I sat down to experience it. Now that I've watched it, I'm excited to share my thoughts on this fantastic creation.

This show was jam-packed with broadway stars who brought their unique interpretation of the characters. Kevin Chamberlin and Andrew Barth Feldman were faithful interpretations of the original movie, while Mary Testa and Tituss Burgess gave me a new perspective on the characters. The killer ensemble, featuring the cast of "Six," stole the show with their TikTok dancing. And we can't forget about Tony winner Andre De Shield's fantastic performance as Ego. Overall the entire cast seemed excited to be a part of this massive project and brought pure energy to the screen.

The music was fantastic and full of the broadway magic I've been so desperately missing. I loved hearing more extended versions of my favorite TikTok original songs as well as new music by Daniel Mertzlufft, who is a fantastic creator I've been following on TikTok before Ratatouille. The cast's vocal performances were excellent, and the orchestrations, done by Macy Schmidt, were incredible. All of the musical theater references had me crying with laughter and shouting, "I understood that reference." I hope they find a way to release a cast recording so I can listen to it over and over again.

Doing a musical virtually is not an easy thing, and doing a musical with a drastic size difference between your main characters is even more challenging. I thought director Lucy Moss, co-creator of "Six: the musical," did a fantastic job making the show feel theatrical while sticking to its tik to roots. Moss used camera angles and played with each actor's recording to create a sense of scale and size difference. This show was hands down one of the most theatrical virtual productions I've seen during the pandemic.

"Ratatouille: The Tiktok Musical" started as a joke but has become a celebration of musical theater and a glimpse into the future of broadway. I am in awe of how far it's come and the power my generation has to create something truly extraordinary. I think a quote from Ratatouille sums up my thoughts perfectly "Not everyone can cook, but a great cook (or Musical) can come from anywhere."

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