The Ratatouille Musical is HAPPENING.- Page 3

[MannPhan24601]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 7:43pm

The woman who came with the idea was a 26 year old teacher . I know that at least one song was written by Sophia James from American Idol 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 8:08pm

Is this show the best piece of theatre I've seen in five months or the only piece of theatre I've seen in five months?

[Scarlet Leigh]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 8:15pm

That was a good, fun way to support the Actor's Fund for an hour! Something to put a smile on my face. I was honestly really kinda impressed with the level of effort put into this when all they were asking for was min $5. When you think about how they are trying to mix the sound of actors that are all over the country at this time with all different recording set ups, I'm shocked the design was as balanced as it was. My only meh thing was... yeah I looked into this thing on tik tok and I heard much better songs to be Colette's song. I mean other than that, this was over all a real feel good ending to a feel good story. Teenagers in lockdown with no outlet used their talent to make something and they get the joy now of seeing that thing they created come to life. In a time when so many younger people are being told they can do anything only to find out later on they were lied to.... let them have their moment of pride and success in making this happen. Updated On: 1/1/21 at 08:15 PM

[Joshua Rosenthal]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 8:19pm

It was a good start/milestone for what could become a full show. Loved it!

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 8:20pm

Beautifully said, Scarlet. I agree completely. 

Updated On: 1/1/21 at 08:20 PM

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 8:44pm

For $5 I thought it had just the right amount of cheese!

The Broadway Sinfonietta did a really nice orchestration, all of their orchestrations were just great to listen to. I was surprised at how catchy some of these songs are cause I hadn't heard any of them previously.

Andre De Shields is always highly entertaining and actually looked in the camera the entire time. Feldman really looks a lot like Linguini from the movie lol

I will say that some definitely could have looked into the camera more, especially Burgess since he was the main character but for something that was done out of fun and is raising money for a good cause it really feels like an unnecessary thing for me to nit pick at.

Well done to everyone involved! Updated On: 1/1/21 at 08:44 PM

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 8:49pm

Andrew Barth Feldman and Ashley Parker were delightful. They played the truth in their thinly written roles.

The Pixar film is simple enough to add songs to but not well suited for the stage. You'll either end up with a puppet or a human in rat ears and neither is ideal.

The songs, alas, were generic pastiche.

Updated On: 1/1/21 at 08:49 PM

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 9:50pm

They just announced that the event has raised over $1 million for The Actors' Fund so far!

https://twitter.com/ratatousical/status/1345197450458501124?s=21

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 9:51pm

I don't think we've seen the last of this musical, either.

[dianamorales]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 10:39pm

ACL2006 said: "I don't think we've seen the last of this musical, either."

I do. Not in a snarky way- I thought it was cute and fun and well done, and didn't need to be anything more(I don't think it wanted to be). It gave me the closure I needed after following the trend for months, and raised a ton for a great cause.

But it showed us that these crowdsourced, community-made shows can work and be successful- where can we go from here?

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 11:25pm

MattieIce2018 said: "They just announced that the event has raised over $1 million for The Actors' Fund so far!

https://twitter.com/ratatousical/status/1345197450458501124?s=21"

That's insane! I thought that charging a minimum donation fee was tacky, but it obviously paid off. Good for them.

And who cares if it was not up to standards at this stage. It served its one-time-only purpose well.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 11:32pm

I hope that it’s fundraising success leads to more similarly priced programming.

Also the megamix at the end was so joyful and wonderful. And the band’s exit music was also beautiful. I miss hearing new music....

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 11:35pm

Congrats to Lucy Moss, Emily Marshall, and all involved. Though I've heard mixed things thus far, I'm so glad lots of money is being raised for the Fund and I'm eager to see what this event leads to (or if the Ratatouille craze simply dissipates). If anyone can cook, then anyone can create art.

Updated On: 1/1/21 at 11:35 PM

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/1/21 at 11:40pm

bwayobsessed said: "I hope that it’s fundraising success leads to more similarly priced programming.

Also the megamix at the end was so joyful and wonderful. And the band’s exit music was also beautiful. I miss hearing new music...."

I'm actually surprised there haven't been too many musicals in development during the pandemic. Seems like a perfect opportunity to showcase new material. 

 

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 12:06am

blaxx said: "bwayobsessed said: "I hope that it’s fundraising success leads to more similarly priced programming.

Also the megamix at the end was so joyful and wonderful. And the band’s exit music was also beautiful. I miss hearing new music...."

I'm actually surprised there haven't been too many musicals in development during the pandemic. Seems like a perfect opportunity to showcase new material.

"

Not when in-person readings are impossible and virtual readings are still very difficult to put together...

When in-person gatherings are allowed again, I fully expect dozens of new musicals starting labs and workshops out of nowhere.

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 12:14am

There's been quite a few podcast musicals that have popped up, like Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, In Strabge Woods, As the Curtain Rises, and The Latest Draft. I'd be interested to see if we get more from the TikTok sector though, and it would be a good way of gaining interest from a younger audience. At the same time, I wonder if more established musical theater composers will look to platforms like TikTok to showcase or demo new works.

[copskid949]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 12:21am

I really have to say, this was fun!

Admittedly I’m not into every aspect. Remy monologuing the entire plot of Ratatouille to keep the show at 60 minutes was a bit disappointing, especially when entire plays have been written/adapted for virtual performances and scenes could have totally been at least sketched out in that time. That being said, the music turned out wonderfully. I genuinely think maybe 1/4 of it would fly in an actual production, but for this benefit concert I’m so glad we got to see it all play out. The new solo they wrote for Remy using the original song as a basis was very cool, and my friend texted me that he’s already trying to figure out how to sneak it into his rep lol.

The future of Ratatouille is an interesting topic. Just like The Princess and the Frog, this is a highly-requested Disney property that has to deal with a lot of scale and non-human characters. Unlike Frog, this musical is coming from an entirely non-musical source. I think, though, that this proves the concept be done coherently. The only scenes I can think of in Ratatouille that may not translate as well onstage is how Remy pulls Linguini’s hair, or Skinner’s chase scene. Everything else, though, is actually highly possible, and new material can be written. If Disney gets the right people involved (and the blessing of the TikTok community), this could be a huge success.

On that note, it would be cool if Disney approached the Lopez’s about doing a serious take on their Finding Nemo musical they produced for Disney World. Pixar films haven’t had the best musical history considering it’s much harder with regular, non-musical source material. Finding Nemo and Ratatouille actually have a spark in them that probably none of the other Pixar films possess, not even Toy Story which has already been adapted into a show.

Not saying we necessarily *need* more Disney adaptations on Broadway, but if they turn out good (and profitable for the industry, especially now) then it’s worth it!

[blaxx]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 12:31am

Alex Kulak2 said: "blaxx said: "bwayobsessed said: "I hope that it’s fundraising success leads to more similarly priced programming.

Also the megamix at the end was so joyful and wonderful. And the band’s exit music was also beautiful. I miss hearing new music...."

I'm actually surprised there haven't been too many musicals in development during the pandemic. Seems like a perfect opportunity to showcase new material.

"

Not when in-person readings are impossible and virtual readings are still very difficult to put together...

When in-person gatherings are allowed again, I fully expect dozens of new musicals starting labs and workshopsout of nowhere."

I suppose it's logistically hard to put together, but I do find it exciting to hear about new musical ideas. Stupid Covid.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 1:06am

If anything, immediately after we got the idea that Remy would be monologuing the plot of the show, this could totally work in the Pixar area of the theme parks with puppetry, projection screens of animated stills, or sequences from the film, or storyboard sketches, etc. as a backdrop. Aside from being in the one-hour format (which could be doable as opposed to a 30-45 minute show) this seems the most probable route if there were one. I don't know how Disney/Pixar would budge or handle any sort of licensing or mounting of a major/amateur production. But who knows? If MTI can have a Moana Jr. (not Pixar) anything is possible. Ratatouille The Musical, itself, proved that with what they did tonight. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 2:43am

Just finished watching the whole show. It might be because we've been deprived of new material for so long now, but this was a pleasant surprise! Loved each and every actor, and caught all the musical references (brava Lucy Moss for sneaking in Six- the queens were also adorable during their brief cameos). The score was easily hummable and the 20-piece orchestra sounded fantastic.

Burgess, Park, De Shields, and Chamberlin were all good. Adam Lambert showed exactly why he should have won Idol that year. Mary Testa stole the show with "I Knew I Smelled a Rat," which gave me some "Don't Break the Rules" vibes. 

Way to go, all. Hopefully this is a fresh new start to what could be one of the most memorable years in recent theatre history. Could Disney really get their hands on this and eventually place it in one of their theme parks? 

 

 

[CT2NYC]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 1:51pm

Here's a little background on the contributions of the talented Blake Rouse, who wrote 2 of the featured songs: "The Rat's Way of Life" and "Ratatouille Tango." I've been a fan of both since he posted them on YouTube, and I actually prefer his version of "The Rat's Way of Life" to Adam Lambert's.

Ratatouille the Musical (blakerouse.com)

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 4:21pm

This was adorable! I think some posts are being too harsh. Of course, its editing won't be that good and it will be cheesy, but it's something we really need right now. Anton Ego's monologue really hit home with "great artists and creations coming from anywhere" in this context and the irony that this show came from random people. I think before this will be a full-on Broadway show (Yeah, someone on this forum said Disney was attempting this with Annaleigh Ashford), I think this will come out for licensing for schools. A great way for Disney Theatricals and Seaford to make some money until Broadway opens. Congrats to all of the young songwriters on their professional debuts. No doubt they have great futures in musical theater,

Casting-wise, Tituss was very cute as Remy and nailed his solo. Andrew Barth Feldman and Andre DeShields were fantastic and utter perfections as Liguini and Ego. I loved Wayne Brady as the dad and Adam Levine was a great surprise as Emile. The random SIX cameos killed me, but I wish they actually sung. Mary Testa was hilarious and delivered as Skinner. I would love to see more actresses as Skinner. I always love Ashley Park in everything she does and while she was great as Colette, I actually do wish she has more anger like the original character. Poor Kevin was wasted in this, but he was so great while he was in it. Glad he he had most of the opening number. 

[NievesG]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 4:30pm

Just finished it as well and reading about $1M in fundraising - wow!

Admittedly, I have never seen the film so I can't comment on casting but Brady, Feldman, and Testa were great. I especially loved Testa's number, the finale and, of course, it's always a joy to see Adam Lambert anywhere. The orchestration was better than I expected and they kept so close to the spirit of original Tik Toks, that was nice. 

A sweet way to start the year. It's really hard to nitpick this project because I think it did what it set out to do and that was create a little bit of joy. 

Updated On: 1/2/21 at 04:30 PM

[ACL2006]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 6:32pm

Disney should put this in where Nemo is and develop Finding Nemo as a full musical (finally).

[windowwaving]

Posted: 1/2/21 at 7:12pm

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I followed the trend on TikTok since that very first video, so I couldn't miss it, but I was still hesitant to watch.

I thought the entire piece was well done and the orchestrations were phenomenal. I really commend everyone involved with how fun and charming it was. I loved how they integrated the TikTok style and the original creators. It's really fascinating what the internet can do. 

My favorites were Andrew, Ashley and Andre. I love Titus but just couldn't imagine him as Remy. But after this, I thought his take on Remy was perfect for this. I didn't mind that he was reading his lines most of the time, he had the most and not a lot of time to do it. 

Glad they were able to raise so much money! I think if you have any interest in seeing Ratatouille and want to see some Broadway stars have some fun, just do it!