'Bridgerton' Is the Next Big TikTok Musical

After the success of Ratatouille the Musical aka Ratatousical on TikTok, it’s only natural for more TikTok musicals to start popping up. It wasn’t long before one TikToker, Abigail Barlow, asked, “What if Bridgerton was a musical?” And we could not be more ecstatic. The Bridgerton musical that Abigail Barlow started writing and singing on TikTok is truly otherworldly, and also still so true to Bridgerton.

The Bridgerton musical is different from Ratatousical because it is mainly being written by one user, singer / songwriter Abigail Barlow. She and her writing partner, Emily Bear, decided to write additional songs after Abigail’s first Bridgerton TikTok went viral.

Abigail asked, “Ok but what if Bridgerton was a musical?” and sang a beautiful dreamy solo that she titled, “Daphne’s Song.” Not only was it spot on, but it also brought together classical musicals and pop music in a very exciting way. 

Emily Bear, the composition and orchestration half of the Barlow / Bear duo told Playbill, “We wanted to do what Bridgerton did, which is take this 1800s period piece and infuse it with modern elements … With Abigail’s pop sensibilities and my classical style, we really complement each other. That’s what Bridgerton did so well on screen and we want to translate that.” One of the best parts of Bridgerton are the orchestral covers of pop songs, so it’s more than fitting to see that Shondaland choice making its way to the stage (or the TikTok screen).

Although the Bridgerton musical is mainly being written by Abigail and Emily, the thing that makes TikTok great for the inception of new musicals is the ability to duet with existing TikTok videos. One of Abigail’s most popular Bridgerton musical TikTok videos was a duet she wrote for Daphne and Simon, Bridgerton’s romantic leads. Nick Daly, a University of Michigan theater student who won Playbill’s “2020 Search for a Star” contest, took the reigns as Simon.

The Bridgerton duet between Abigail and Nick went so viral, the official Netflix account even tweeted about it. Nick told Playbill, “I’m often asked what my dream role is, and I typically say that it hasn’t been written yet. But the vocals for Simon are so beautiful, Simon would absolutely be my dream role.” Not only has Nick lent his voice to Simon’s vocals, but many Broadway stars have shared their own versions of Abigail’s Bridgerton musical songs on TikTok.

Some big stars, like Samantha Bark, who we know as Eponine from the Les Miserables movie, and Renee Rapp, who’s known for some of her own viral TikTok videos (mainly one where she’s lifting her leg into a split and riffing her brains out), have showed off their vocals on the Bridgerton musical songs. On the other hand, some of the Ratatousical creators, like Katie Jo, who wrote Anton Ego’s song, have been inspired to make their own Bridgerton musical songs for TikTok.

Although its roots are slightly different from Ratatousical’s, we can likely expect more of the Bridgerton musical. However, it’s possible that Bridgerton may take a more traditional route and actually end up on a stage. Creator Abigail shared, “When I binged Bridgerton, it was just immediate to me that it belonged on the stage,” and it’s hard to disagree with its extravagant costumes, poetic characters, and adventurous musical choices.

Abigail announced in a video to her followers that it started out as a fun idea she had, but that it’ll now likely become a full-length project. She says that she imagines it’ll be a concept album, playing off of the pop and classical tones in the Bridgerton series. She and Emily have already released a song, “Balancing the Scales,” and Emily is working on producing more so that they are album-ready. Hamilton began as a concept album, so who knows what this Bridgerton TikTok musical may lead to?