All That Glitters…Isn’t Always Gold

Igor Kasyanyuk/Artwork: Samantha Bates

If you’ve been following the progression of the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical like me (and countless others via social media) then you know a little bit about the story. It all started as a dream by singer-songwriter Abigail Barlow on TikTok when she posed the question: What if Bridgerton was a musical?

During some of the darker days of the pandemic, her energetic and catchy tunes based on the characters from the insanely popular streaming series Bridgerton, which is based on the decades-old book franchise by author Julia Quinn, catapulted her and her musical partner Emily Bear (who handled the orchestration, production and additional vocals) into a worldwide phenomenon, landing them on countless talk show couches, podcast appearances, and even an appearance on the televised celebration of The Kennedy Center at 50, performing one of the songs from the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical alongside Glee alum Darren Criss. And, what’s more, the ladies completed the album version of the unofficial musical, which not only earned them an Grammy nomination, but they won their category – Best Musical Theater Album, beating out the likes of Andrew Lloyd Webber, Stephen Schwartz and even Les Miserables.

Now comes (sadly) the downside of all that success!

It was recently announced the young pair of ladies are being sued for infringement by the powerhouse Netflix, who is the home network for Bridgerton – despite the streamer being supportive – hailing the concept as a free online homage – of the womens’ endeavors with the unofficial musical.

But now that Barlow and Bear staged a live concert of the album at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC (selling out the venue, I might add); and have intentions to take these concerts on the road, including a planned concert set for September 20 at the Royal Albert Hall in London alongside the BBC Concert Orchestra, it looks like they’ve bite off more than they can chew. Making a profit for themselves from a franchise that is not theirs, and not having the proper permission, is shining a bad light on what had been an amazing, near two-year journey.

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According to the lawsuit: “Defendants Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear and their companies (“Barlow & Bear”) have taken valuable intellectual property from the Netflix original series Bridgerton to build an international brand for themselves. Bridgerton reflects the creative work and hard-earned success of hundreds of artists and Netflix employees. Netflix owns the exclusive right to create Bridgerton songs, musicals, or any other derivative works based on Bridgerton. Barlow & Bear cannot take that right—made valuable by others’ hard work—for themselves, without permission.”

The streamer claims it has made “repeated objections” to the stage show, which sold tickets ranging up to $149 each while VIP packages were even more expensive; and it has been alleged there are plans for a line of merchandise as well.

To say the least, for all of us outsiders to the inner workings of this lawsuit, it is heartbreaking to see something that started as fun and entertaining turn so very sour.

While the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical album hit No. 1 on iTunes US pop charts, streaming more than 45 million times, and has inspired many others in the musical community, this situation shines a poor light on the pair and makes it clear that not all that glitters is gold.

Barlow & Bear have not commented on the lawsuit as yet, but I certainly hope they make an effort to make things right and that perhaps some kind of arrangement can be made that is beneficial to all parties without losing the gem that is the Unofficial Bridgerton Musical.