Looking at the Bridgerton musical adaptation that’s taking TikTok by storm
Netflix’s historical romance series Bridgerton skyrocketed to popularity the moment that it was released on Christmas Day in 2020. The Regency-era show, based on the novels by Julia Quinn, has had unprecedented success since it premiered and has already been renewed for a second season.
But even those who aren’t fans of the television show may have encountered the musical adaptation being written by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear on TikTok. After the viral success of the community-made Ratatouille musical on TikTok last year, there’s a new musical reigning supreme.
After first watching Bridgerton, 22-year-old pop singer Barlow was inspired to write songs based on it. She started posting the songs on TikTok in early January and was met with immediate positive feedback.
She invited 19-year-old composer Bear, who you might know for being a childhood piano prodigy, to work on the show with her. The two had previously been working on another musical together for about a year. The pair frequently go live on TikTok while writing and share their creative process.
The Bridgerton musical is going virtal on TikTok
Several of the songs, including “Burn for You” and “Penelope Featherington,” have gone viral on TikTok, garnering millions of views and sparking tons of duets and covers. Not only have popular TikTok creators covered their songs, but Broadway and West End actors have as well.
Carrie Hope Fletcher, known for starring in Les Misérables and Heathers the Musical and for her popular YouTube channel, covered “Penelope Featherington.” Les Mis film actress Samantha Barks, who will play Elsa in Frozen in the West End when it opens, covered Siena’s song, “Fool For You.”
Noah J. Ricketts, who played Kristoff in Frozen on Broadway, covered Simon’s part in “Burn For You.”
Barlow said that the way that the musical is bringing creative people together gives “a glimmer of hope in such a dark time in our world.” The pair have dreams of getting the musical to the stage and say they have been in touch with people in the industry about moving it forward towards an album or the stage.
In an interview with NPR earlier this month, Bear said, “We’re just sort of getting all of our ducks in a row before we decide a lane to go down.”
For now, you can follow Barlow on TikTok and check out full song rough demos on Barlow & Bear’s website.
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Have you been keeping up with the Bridgerton musical? If so, what’s your favorite song? Let me know in the comments or on Twitter.