More Capsule Reviews in the Time of Coronavirus (5)

Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical

Obviously, there haven't been opportunities to see live theater or musicals lately, but when my wife told me she wanted to check out a streaming musical based on the Pixar film Ratatouille that grew out of a TikTok video that went viral, I was obviously apprehensive. Apparently, someone on TikTok composed, wrote and posted a song for a number from a “Ratatouille” musical to which other TikTok users began contributing from both the professional and amateur theater ranks, encompassing staging, costume design and more. It was eventually presented online as a fundraiser for the Actors Fund, as a streaming show.

Like many such productions, I planned to give it 10 minutes or so to see if it was worth my time — quite effectively, the show brings you in from the very start, with its “Hey, kids, let’s put on a show!” enthusiasm. But make no mistake, this is a nearly fully-realized, professional production, starting with the performers, all delightful, who include Titus Burgess as Remy the Rat, Andrew Barth Feldman as Linguini (who played “Dear Evan Hanson” on Broadway) and Wayne Brady. As one observer noted, the goal was to put on a “professional” production and the results show that there is a lot of talent out there (young and otherwise). In the credits, you get to see many of the contributors and snippets of the original TikTok songs—many of which are also on YouTube.

Watch the full musical:

Fandome 2: Superman Radio Show Re-Creation

Following the success of DC Fandome on August 22, 2020, Warner Brothers scheduled a follow up with additional material on September 12. Among the offerings was the re-creation of a 1940s episode of the Superman radio show, as a fundraiser for the Creative Coalition. The presentation, available online, featured a cast that rotated its parts among multiple actors, including, as Superman, Tim Daly (who played Superman on the animated series) and Daniel Dae, and others like Jason Alexander, Terry Crews, Giancarlo Esposito, Jason Isaacs, Richard Kind, Tony Shalhoub, and Henry Winkler.

While the show was fun and all the actors did a presentable job, as someone who was involved in a faux “radio show” as well, the show underscored how radio drama is an art in itself. Since voice and sound is the only dramatic tool for the medium, radio drama requires a bit more energy to avoid any dead air and keep the listener engaged. As an example, I thought Isaacs, as the villain, did especially well, throwing his whole body and voice into his performance.

It was a fun exercise—with so many table reads of classic movie and tv scripts being done in this age of coronavirus, the show was a nice addition.

Watch the radio show re-creation on YouTube: