The way things are being created is changing just as fast as technology. This reigns true for “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.” This album was inspired by the Netflix show “Bridgerton.” The show, with its dramatic storyline, and the actors— Regé-Jean Page (Simon) and Phoebe Dynevor (Daphne)— took the world by storm.
After watching the Netflix original, viewers fled to TikTok to express their love for the new show. This inspired Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear to create “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.” The project has helped blossom Barlow and Bear’s career, while also allowing listeners to partake in the creative process and break the stigmas around being a broadway writer.
Barlow started writing music when she was a teenager, and she then proceeded to move to Los Angeles, California. Her goal in moving to LA was to dive “head first,” into the music industry. She also quickly built a following on social media.
Unlike her counterpart, Bear has been doing music since she was a child. Some people may even call her a musical prodigy. Her first ever piano composition was published by Hal Leonard, and she was only 4-years-old. She has played on the “Ellen DeGeneres Show” many times, and she has even performed at the White House for George W. Bush. Despite their accomplishments, Barlow and Bearwere were feeling stagnant in their careers.
“We were both a little frustrated in our solo careers, looking to switch it up and do something different…We’re both extremely obsessed and love the world they created, it had me buzzing with inspiration,” Barlow says to Paper Magazine.
A creative match was lit under them. They would soon set the music and broadway industry ablaze.
One of the many unique things that Barlow and Bear did was really allow their audience to engage in the creative process.
“They broke the glass ceiling on the standard way that a Broadway show is brought to life by involving the audience every step of the way throughout the creation of the musical via social media and TikTok live,” the duo’s “Spotify” biography reads.
They are revolutionizing how Broadway shows are created.
“We wanted to lift back the curtain and show when it was bad, when we were struggling, when we were hitting our stride,” said Emily Bear to Paper Magazine.
During the creative process, there are typically questions about what artists think their audience would want to see or listen to. Barlow and Bear essentially closed this gap between the creator and the audience. They wanted the input of their audience because, at the end of the day, they were making this for them. Their TikTok live streams were a great way to get real time reactions from their fans. They didn’t have to wait and see what they would say on an Instagram poll. The way that they were able to utilize the technology at their fingertips was revolutionary for Broadway.
This album also helped to break stigmas around being a broadway writer. They created a new space for women in a predominantly male-dominated industry. Being a broadway writer never seemed like an obtainable dream for a young woman. They brought the musical theater genre to more people than it ever reached before.
Barlow and Bear believe that you should not wait for permission to create what you want to create, and they have inspired so many people who are now also sharing their passions on social media.