Everything You Need to Know About Dave Malloy and Lin-Manuel Miranda's OCTET

Earlier this month, Lin-Manuel Miranda announced his next outing as a director: a feature adaptation of Octet, the chamber choir musical from Dave Malloy. Shortly after, the cast for the film was revealed, featuring a slew of starry names including Rachel Zegler, Jonathan Groff, and Amanda Seyfried.

Though many musical theater aficionados are familiar with the musical, Octet is a bit of a deep cut even for some within the theater scene. The show has never been performed on Broadway, and, other than listening to a cast recording, there is no official way to watch the original stage production.

For newcomers, or those who just need an Octet "Refresh," we have put together a deep dive into the musical, a history of its life on stage, and everything that we know about the film adaptation.

What is Octet?

Octet is an acapella chamber musical about eight internet-obsessed people who meet in a church basement. Reminiscent of 12-step programs for addiction, the group members aim to support one another on their journey through digital dependency. With their phones locked in a box, the characters share their compulsions through hymns.

The musical uses the metaphor of "The Forest" to describe an analog, Internet-free space. It is peaceful there, but "The Monster" (Internet) aims to disrupt this sacred place and pull the addicts back to a realm of chaos. This is addressed in the opening number of the show.

Most of the subsequent songs dive into a specific facet of Internet addiction, as seen through the eyes of the respective characters. One group member, Henry, is addicted to candy-themed games on his phone. Another, Jessica, attempts to navigate online judgment after being cancelled. All the characters are returning group members, except newcomer Velva. Paula acts as the group's facilitator. 

Details about the group itself are somewhat sparse, but it was seemingly founded by someone called Saul. An elusive figure, Saul is mentioned a few times throughout, but isn't present at the gathering and is never seen by the audience during the show.

Octet is unique in that the entire score is performed a cappella. For each "solo" number, the other cast members support the primary vocalist with back-up rhythms, harmonies, and other musical sounds rather than a traditional orchestra. This is a significant aspect of the stage production, and during an interview with People, Seyfried seemingly confirmed that this will be retained in the film.

Who Wrote Octet?

Dave Malloy penned the music, lyrics, and book for Octet. He is best known for his War & Peace musical adaptation, Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812, which debuted on Broadway in 2016 with Josh Groban and Denée Benton. He has received three Obie Awards, two Lucille Lortel Awards, a Drama Desk Award, a Smithsonian Ingenuity Award, and a Jonathan Larson Grant. 

Malloy's other musical credits include Three Houses, a post-pandemic open mic parable; The Witches, an adaptation of Roald Dahl’s novel; Moby-Dick, a four-part musical reckoning with Herman Melville’s epic; Ghost Quartet, a song cycle about love, death, and whiskey; Preludes, a musical fantasia set in the hypnotized mind of Sergei Rachmaninoff; and Beowulf - A Thousand Years of Baggage, an anti-academia rock opera.

His latest project is a stage adaptation of the Oscar-nominated psychological thriller BLACK SWAN, featuring a contemporary book by Jen Silverman. Malloy's musical score blends the melodies of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake with an electronic soundscape. A.R.T.’s world-premiere production begins performances at the Loeb Drama Center in Cambridge, MA, on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, and runs through Sunday, June 28, 2026. 

Notable Productions and Awards

Octet premiered on May 19, 2019, at Off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre in New York City. It was extended three times in June, ultimately finishing on June 30. The production was directed and choreographed by Annie Tippe, with music supervision and music direction by Or Matias, scenic design by Amy Rubin and Brittany Vasta, costume design by Brenda Abbandandolo, lighting by Christopher Bowser, sound design by Hidenori Nakajo, and production stage management by Jhanaë Bonnick. 

The Off-Broadway production won several awards, including Lucille Lortel Awards for Outstanding Musical and Direction, as well as Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for Kuhoo Verma as Velma. At the Drama Desk Awards, Dave Malloy took home the award for Outstanding Music. The show also won Outstanding New Off-Broadway musical and New Score at the Outer Critics Circle Awards.  

Octet held its West Coast premiere at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in 2022 and was once again directed by Annie Tippe. Other productions have been held at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Rhode Island's Wilbury Theatre Group, Toronto's Crow's Theatre, and Studio Theatre in Washington, DC.

Who is in it?

Lin-Manuel Miranda's film version stars Amanda Seyfried as Jessica, Rachel Zegler as Velma, Sheryl Lee Ralph as Paula, Phillipa Soo as Karly, Gaten Matarazzo as Toby, Jonathan Groff as Henry, Tramell Tillman as Marvin, and Paul-Jordan Jansen as Ed.

The original off-Broadway cast of Octet featured Adam Bashian (The Phantom of the Opera) as Jim, Kim Blanck (Alice by Heart) as Karly, Starr Busby (Off-Broadway debut) as Paula, Alex Gibson (SpongeBob SquarePants the Musical) as Peter, Justin Gregory Lopez("Jesus Christ Superstar Live") as Toby, J.D. Mollison (X: Or, Betty Shabazz v. the Nation) as Marvin, Margo Seibert (In Transit) as Jessica, and Kuhoo Verma (The Big Sick) as Velma. The cast also included Jonathan Christopher and Nicole Weiss.

Who's involved on the creative team?

Production designer Alex DiGerlando is reuniting with Miranda for the project. He previously worked on Tick, Tick... Boom! and Fosse/Verdon, among other screen projects. In an Instagram post, Miranda shared photos of early set builds, featuring the primary church set. Tick, Tick... Boom! and In the Heights music supervisor Steven Gizicki is also working on the project.

Octet producers include Julie Oh, along with John Skidmore for Best Kept Secret Productions, and Luis A. Miranda, Jr. (President, 5000 Broadway Productions). Executive Producers are Johnny Holland (Friendship, Dumb Money), Owen Panettieri, and Diana DiMenna. Malloy will also serve as Executive Producer.

What will be changed for the film?

At this point, any plot or story details are being kept under wraps beyond the official synopsis, which reads: "Eight internet-obsessed people meet in a church basement and lock their phones in a box. This groundbreaking musical from Dave Malloy (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) follows an octet of people struggling with digital dependency, charting their compulsions using only the analog vibrancy of their own voices. With witty lyrics, shimmering harmonies, and virtuosic solos, Octet sings of connection, redemption, hope—and how we can be truly present with each other." 

In the initial announcement for the film, Lin-Manuel Miranda shared that he has been "working on adapting this with Dave [Malloy] for the past six years." In the stage production, the literal events of the musical take place entirely in one room. However, it wouldn't be far-fetched for the movie to employ flashbacks or other devices to depict some of the events described within the songs.

The musical debuted in 2019, and since that time, the Internet has changed in substantial ways, most notably with the addition of artificial intelligence tools to nearly every platform. Some of these newer elements of the Internet could be incorporated into the screenplay.

How can I watch the stage musical?

A recording of the show isn't officially available. However, the original off-Broadway cast recording is available to stream, as is the full libretto, which can be purchased directly from Dave Malloy here.

When will the movie be released?

A release date for the film has yet to be announced. Miranda's previous film, Tick, Tick... Boom!, saw a limited theatrical run before being released on Netflix in 2021. It is unknown if Octet will be released theatrically or will go straight to a streaming service.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus