A review of one of the more surprising positive results of social media during a pandemic.
Rumours of a musical based on Disney movie Ratatouille spread across TikTok last autumn, with many users collaborating to suggest everything from musical numbers to stage design. It was an intriguing concept but one I mentally filed away to rediscover in the distant future believing there was no way it could come to fruition in a year like 2020. Evidently I was wrong with the modest announcement of the musical ready to stream in aid of The Actors Fund, assisting those in an industry which has suffered greatly through the pandemic.
Just under an hour long, this minimised musical follows the same plot as the Disney film where Remy the rat discovers his ability to cook with Linguini in Gusteau’s renowned restaurant.
From the incredible artwork produced for the Playbill by TikTok user @siswij, it would be easy to presume this was a professional effort, but the video editing betrayed it as a very 2020 production, giving it a home-video feel in places. Having seen many ambitious and potentially amazing suggestions on TikTok for staging and choreography, I was perhaps unfairly expecting more of a structured production than possible.
Simply establishing a cohesive backdrop over the mishmash of wallpaper behind each user could have increased the performance value immensely, but perhaps there’s something to be said for the production staying close to its homegrown roots – many viewers will recognise the TikTok duet style, and choreography from popular TikTok dances.
The constant – but understandably unavoidable – presence of airpods added to the home production feel, but Chef Gusteau’s TikTok username flashing at the side of the screen was the most irksome moment, jerking the viewer from the experience.
Most importantly, the performances themselves cannot be faulted – Titus Burgess shone as food enthusiast Remy, and Andrew Barth Feldma made a perfectly adorably awkward Linguini. Ashley Park was fabulously fierce as the skilled chef, Colette, assigned to train Linguini, although her French accent and rapid fire lyrics meant some lines were incomprehensible.
The musical numbers were fabulously written and performed. Chef Skinner’s rendition of I Smell a Rat (written by @sophiajamesmusic) particularly stood out, along with the Ratatouille Tango, a duet between Linguini and Colette.
A disappointing moment was Ego’s flashback to his childhood; André De Shields and Owen Tabakas’ voices didn’t seem to gel as well as they could, and without the context from the original film, the scene didn’t make much sense.
The backing dancers were skilled, if not as synchronised as one comes to expect from a Broadway production, and an all-women, majority-BIPOC orchestra provide the wonderful music throughout, as well as by far the best camera quality.
It may not be the most polished production, but devised in a month during the most unusual circumstances by a rag-tag bunch of creatives, it is the wholesome and inspirational start to the new year we could all do with.
****
Stream Ratatouille the Musical on TodayTix, available here until 4th January.
Katie Reviews 