Octet musical film – everything you need to know

Number one 

What exactly is Octet? The show is a chamber choir musical written and composed by Dave Malloy – the mastermind behind shows like Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 and Ghost Quartet. It had its world premiere off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre in New York, receiving glowing notices for its initial run.

Number two

As for what the show is about, don’t expect jazz hands and high kicks. It follows a group of internet addicts, who gather in a church basement to sing together, bear their souls and find some catharsis. It’s also all performed a capella – relying exclusively on the cast’s voices.

Number three 

If you’re asking why you’ve never seen it on stage, well sadly it hasn’t come to the UK (yet). A few productions have bookended the Covid lockdowns (eerily prescient a story, given how the internet was our key source of connection during the pandemic), but all you have to go off is an incredibly good cast recording from 2019, available wherever you get your streams.

Number four 

As you may have guessed from the photos and our structuring of this feature, the director of the film is one Lin-Manuel Miranda, the mastermind behind Hamilton, co-writer of In the Heights and Warriors, Disney legend and the one-time cameo performer in How I Met Your Mother. It’s his second film after the incredibly successful tick, tick… Boom!, and we hope we can work his cinematic magic on another off-Broadway musical now with Octet. 

Number five

As for the eight-strong cast for the film, last week Miranda unveiled the incredible talents participating in the flick – all hailing from the worlds of stage, screen or both. They are:

– film star Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia!), playing the cancelled Jessica, who was captured in a viral “white woman goes crazy” video,
– award-winning stage and screen performer Rachel Zegler as Velma, who is obsessed with joining online communities,
– Emmy winning and Tony nominated Dreamgirls and Abbott Elementary legend Sheryl Lee Ralph as Paula, the group leader who fears internet consumption has destroyed her intimate life,
– Hamilton’s Phillipa Soo as Karly, addicted to online dating apps yet finding herself matched with horrible men,
– Stranger Thing’s Gaten Matarazzo as Toby, who spends his time watching violent content online,
– Tony winning Hamilton and Merrily We Roll Along’s Jonathan Groff as Henry, who cannot stop playing a candy-based videogame app,
– Emmy winner Tramell Tillman of Severance fame as Marvin, a highly educated scientist and neurological researcher facing existential dread
– and Broadway star Paul-Jordan Jansen (Sweeney Todd) as Ed, who is enamoured by the incel community in order to solve his loneliness.

Number six

Of course, a stage play isn’t oven-baked and ready for filming – there are others also involved! Malloy is adapting his musical by penning the screenplay and executive producing the flick, so he’s heavily involved. As for other crew members (director of photography, choreography, production design etc), we are waiting to hear more. What’s intriguing at this point is whether the film will cut away from the stage show’s underground meeting room’s setting and show scenes from the various confessions – adding a more expansive, cinematic scope to the story.

Number seven 

Some other fun bits of trivia we’re going to quickly pack in here – Malloy himself has compiled a very comprehensive bibliography of sources of inspiration, including Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Philip K Dick’s Valis, Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One, Caryl Churchill’s Love and Information, Black Mirror (chiefly the episodes “The Entire History of You”, “Nosedive” and “Hated By the Nation”), Philip Glass’ Einstein on the Beach, and the musicals Company and A Chorus Line. 

Some intriguing executive producers and financiers are also involved, including John Gore for Broadway.com and TodayTix Group.

Number eight 

When’s it coming out? Honestly, we don’t know yet. Rehearsals and filming have only just started, but be sure to follow us for all the latest updates.