From TikTok Trend to GRAMMY Nominee: How The 'Bridgerton' Musical Is Changing Theater Culture
'The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical's' nominated composers, lyricists and vocal performers are Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear — the only women nominated in their category and the youngest-ever nominees for a Best Musical Theater Album GRAMMY
LAURA WHEATMAN HILL
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GRAMMYS
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MAR 24, 2022 - 08:31 AM
Like sourdough and "Tiger King," the “TikTok musical” was a trend of the early pandemic — starting with "Ratatouille" and peaking with "Bridgerton." When Broadway (and therefore all regional and local theaters) shuttered for nearly a year and a half, creators collaborated across cyberspace to develop full-fledged, handheld musicals.
These social media musicals often begin small, converting a piece of existing work like a movie or TV show into a musical format. When these popular TikTok musical videos go viral, subsequent creators add their own spin in the form of lyrics, melodies, choreography or orchestrations. On New Year’s Day 2021, a star-studded TikTok take on the Disney film Ratatouille raised $2 million for the Actor’s Fund and won a Webby.
While the charming and family-friendly "Ratatouille" may have started the TikTok musical trend, very different source material influenced one of its most popular creations. “Bridgerton," a Regency-era-set romance, was turned into The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical concept album, a compilation of songs originally created on TikTok. The album, currently nominated at the 2022 GRAMMYs, is the first musical of its kind to receive a GRAMMY nomination for Best Musical Theater Album.
Bridgerton's nominated composers, lyricists and vocal performers are Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear — the only women nominated in their category. At 23 and 20 years old, they also make history as the youngest nominees in their category and the youngest-ever nominees for a musical theater GRAMMY. They met through friends and, while they worked together on “one offs” before Bridgerton, this is their first official collaboration.
Barlow and Bear’s songs are pop-influenced and catchy, more reminiscent of singer/songwriter hits from Sara Barellis and Olivia Rodrigo than classic showtunes. The team’s nomination signals a significant cultural music moment, one where musical creation can result from years of development by experienced professionals and investors, but can also stem from passionate newcomers on a social media app.
Very few musicals are based on television shows ("Addams Family" and "the SpongeBob Musical" are notable exceptions) and "Bridgerton" is the first and so far only TikTok musical to have mainstream, offline success. In October, Barlow and Bear performed at the Kennedy Center and were joined by Broadway and "Glee" alum Darren Criss for a number.
Post nomination, Barlow and Bear teamed up with fellow nominee Andrew Lloyd Webber in December for a "Cinderella/Bridgerton" mashup shared on Webber’s Instagram. They may have been new on the scene before "Bridgerton," but Barlow and Bear quickly made a place for themselves among the theater community.
Barlow and Bear — who sat together in the same room, their obvious affection for one another on display over Zoom — discussed how they created The Unofficial Bridgerton Concept Album.
From an idea to a viral sensation
Barlow, a pop singer with musical theater roots, says she thought of the first song for the "Bridgerton" musical shortly after the show’s debut in January 2021.
Before posting, she sent it to Bear. “I knew it wasn’t going to be real without Emily,” she says. Within 45 minutes, Bear — a piano prodigy who had her first 15 minutes of fame at age 6 on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" — sent the song back fully orchestrated.
The post, titled “What if 'Bridgerton' was a musical,” went viral and the two began collaborating on more songs about the hit Netflix series. Unlike other Best Musical Theater Album nominees — many of which were years in the making or based on previously-written songs — the Bridgerton concept album was written quickly: 15 songs over six weeks in early 2021.
The transparent process was documented via live TikTok and Instragam streams, incorporating feedback from commenters. Bear says the hours-long live streams were “very vulnerable,” with audiences sometimes patiently watching the two have writer’s block. The process was like “workshopping instantly,” Bear recalls, with Barlow adding that “what drew the everyday person in is that it’s not always pretty.”
Singers, choreographers and dancers made videos using the songs and, in a world with no theater, the TikTok musical allowed people to find community. In a time when mental health crises were on the rise, especially among young people, Barlow and Bear were blown away by the support. Bear says fans told her "Bridgerton" musical content was what they looked forward to everyday. “I can’t wrap my head around the fact that what we created can help people,” she says, adding, “It [also] helped us.”
Becoming musical theater changemakers
Musicals made in the first half of the 20th century often consisted of contemporary pop songs shoehorned into plots, similar to jukebox musicals of today — a category this year’s nominee, "Girl from North Country" and last year’s winner, "Jagged Little Pill" fall into.
However, while the trend is for new musicals to be created by known stars, that hasn’t always been the case. Bear referenced a rare piece of musical theater history: 73-year-old Andrew Lloyd Webber, whose Cinderella is competing with Bridgerton for Best Musical Theater Album this year, got his start at age 20 with a 15-minute version of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" he had workshopped for a school performance in 1968. "Bridgerton" brings this musical theater history full circle by returning to the tradition of newcomers using a popular musical style, ironically going up against those who did it first.
The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical concept album was released on Sept. 10, 2021, nine months after Barlow made the first "Bridgerton"TikTok. Within two hours, the album was iTunes' No. 1 US Pop Album and was in its top 10 across the world.
A historical GRAMMY nomination
The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical was nominated along with musical theater legends Webber ("Cats," "Phantom of the Opera"), Stephen Schwartz ("Wicked"), Burt Bacarach ("The Boy from Oz") and Steven Sater ("Spring Awakening"). Also nominated is a "Les Miserables" concert and "Girl From the North Country," a musical using Bob Dylan’s songs.
Of the 26 people nominated in this category over six shows, Barlow and Bear stand out for their sex and age. Barlow and Bear represent Gen Z, a population not known for theater patronage, but a powerful force in the music business otherwise. Their inclusion marks a historic change in the way musicals are created and celebrated.
TikTok: The future of musical theater?
Most of these musicals aren’t currently on Broadway and reflect the period of time in which theaters went dark. The nominated version of "Cinderella" is also a concept album, which is packaged as a recorded work in the musical theater genre, but is not necessarily a reflection of a live performance.
Even though Netflix and the television show's stars, as well as the author of the book "Bridgerton," gave kudos to the musical, there are currently no plans for a stage show. Barlow and Bear do not own the intellectual property rights to "Bridgerton" and the concept album will stay in the wings unless Netflix wants to pursue it.
“That ball is thoroughly in Netflix’s court,” says Barlow. If the popularity of the Netflix series — whose second season drops March 25 — combines with the TikTok fan support and accolades, the concept album could become a lucrative live show someday.
In anticipation of the new season, fans wonder if Barlow and Bear will take to TikTok for a sequel. The pair are planning to watch season two —““who knows when inspiration will strike,” Bear teases.
Even if Bridgerton doesn’t take home a GRAMMY on April 3, its acknowledgement is a sign the culture around content creation is changing. It’s no longer a home for elite legends, creating product in secrecy and only sharing once it’s complete. Barlow predicts that, in the future, “people are going to want to see behind the curtain. Theater is a gate-kept artform. You don’t get to see a show until you’ve paid $200 for a ticket.”
With the TikTok musical, she says, “people who wouldn’t go to the theater are now interested in it and want to see what it takes.”
The pair is currently working on a number of projects, including one with Margot Robbie’s production company. They are also working on an unnamed stage show, completely new and separate from Bridgerton. Barlow says she is documenting the process now to share when they are able.
Someday, the duo would like to develop a movie musical, stage show or another album while showing people the process along the way. Bear says people “listen to songs everyday but they don’t know how it's created. Opening the curtain on those processes would be so great.”
Barlow says there’s a stigma about “jazz hands musical theater” but “anything can be musical theater. Any genre can tell a story.” Now, music and musicals can be made stronger by community, fan response and even social media. What seemed like a passing trend might be the new way we make and consume content.
"Jagged Little Pill" Wins Best Musical Theater Album | 2021 GRAMMY Awards Show
