Ratatouille: the TikTok Musical is the first of its kind: a crowdsourced virtual musical and internet meme adapted from the 2007 Pixar film Ratatouille. 

As the Cinderella of internet memes, in August of 2020, Emily Jacobsen posted a TikTok to celebrate Remy from Ratatouille. This sparked a popular trend throughout the TikTok community. Many composers, actors and choreographers individually posted their own TikTok contributions for the musical. 

The musical continued to evolve, and before long, a few professionals from the award-winning theatrical production company Seaview got involved. Working with the original TikTok creators, Seaview put on the show in the form of a filmed Broadway-quality charity concert, featuring an all-star cast. 

Since its premiere on Jan. 1, 2021 the ticket sales have amassed $2 million for The Actors Fund. This isn’t surprising, because the musical itself was a delight. 

The musical features a long list of incredibly talented performers. Naturally, Tituss Burgess as Remy, Wayne Brady as Django, Andrew Barth Feldman as Linguini and Adam Lambert as Emile stand out. 

Despite most of the cast having to record their scenes at home (with the exception of Burgess, who recorded his parts in a studio), they brought a great deal of personality and charm to their roles. 

Burgess was the perfect choice to play the musical version of Remy. There wasn’t a single moment where Burgess was not expressive or fun to watch. His comedic timing and acting ability came through consistently – not to mention his voice was outstanding and contributed greatly to an altogether sensational performance. 

Brady, Lambert and Feldman were incredible. It was impossible not to smile every time they popped up on the screen. Their voices were phenomenal, and each of them committed to their characters, fully living out the emotional highs and lows and each scene. Considering how they pulled this off while filming from home, the quality they each brought to the table was nothing short of impressive. 

But the best part about the musical was the soundtrack. Every single song in the musical has that classic, glorious aspect to it that one would typically see in other lighthearted Broadway musicals. It’s whimsical, cheerful and bursting with energy. Each song was distinct and perfectly tailored to the characters they were written for. Plus, the songs are catchy. The lyrics are witty and just the right amount of corny. It’s the kind of music that’s easy to sing along to. 

If nothing else, seeing the work of non-professional artists from TikTok come to life with professional Broadway talent was inspiring. The TikTokers whose work was featured in the musical were credited in a meaningful way, with the artists appearing on screen during the end credits and their names being listed in the online playbill. Unfortunately at press time, tickets for Ratatouille: the TikTok Musical are no longer available. At least the original TikToks are still there for everyone to see.

Published in Volume 75, Number 15 of The Uniter (January 21, 2021)