For You, Paige, the first TikTok musical to be officially performed on stage in front of a live audience, will premiere on April 14th in New York City and on social media. The musical is being produced in conjunction with TikTok’s #projectbroadway, a program to support musical theater artists that began during the height of COVID when theaters were closed.

We’re always looking for new ways to entertain. Tune in to watch "For You, Paige": a LIVE musical by TikTok, for TikTok, on April 14 at 7pm ET/4pm PT #projectbroadway 🎭https://t.co/ek8cpUl6ht

— TikTokComms (@TikTokComms) April 7, 2022

@danieljmertzlufft “For You, Paige” will stream LIVE from NYC April 14th! #projectbroadway #musicaltheatre #musicals #broadway #musicaltheatre #fyp #foryoupaige ♬ original sound – danieljmertzlufft

For You, Paige may be the first TikTok musical to get the full Broadway treatment, but it is not the first one ever. A TikTok musical based on the Netflix show Bridgerton recently won a Grammy for "best musical album" this year, beating professional productions like Les Miserables and Girl from the North Country. Ratatouille: A TikTok Musical was also highly popular back in 2020.

The success of these TikTok musicals has, however, been met with mixed reception, with some applauding the trend and others fearing what it means for the future of civilization.

CONGRATS TO THE UNOFFICIAL BRIDGERTON MUSICAL BY BARLOW AND BEAR OF TIKTOK FAME FOR LITERALLY ❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥WINNING A GRAMMY❤️‍🔥❤️‍🔥

— Stevie Wants You To Google Winston Smith!!!!!!! (@GinnyTrix) April 3, 2022

no way a tiktok musical won a grammy. this is the bad place

— fran (@moulinroyals) April 3, 2022

For You, Paige will involve songs written by musicians from across TikTok and star two musical TikTokers (Sri Ramesh as Paige and Roman Banks as Landon). The plot of the musical is deeply and ostentatiously meta. Landon is a high school senior who writes a musical for a girl named Paige based on Utopia, her favorite fantasy book series. He posts songs from the musical to TikTok, goes viral, and is poached by a record executive — then, he must choose between love and authenticity (Paige) and corporate power (the record executive). Presumably, this is the same inner conflict faced by every TikTok creator. The title itself, of course, is a pun on TikTok’s “For You Page.”

@danieljmertzlufft “For You, Paige” plot summary and Live Schedule! #projectbroadway #foryoupaige #broadway #musicals #tiktoklive #musicaltheater ♬ original sound – danieljmertzlufft

Songs from the musical seem to center around Paige and Landon’s relationship, with fantastical elements from the musical-within-a-musical about Utopia thrown in.

@danieljmertzlufft New song from “For You, Paige!” Tune in tonight to hear more! #projectbroadway #foryoupaige #musicaltheatre #broadway ♬ original sound – danieljmertzlufft

People involved with the musical, notably Daniel Mertzlufft, who is in charge of the project, have been posting TikToks teasing songs from the show and promoting the upcoming livestream and performance.

@danieljmertzlufft Join us in rehearsal LIVE tonight! @TikTok @romanwbanks @sri @krystinaalabado #projectbroadway #foryoupaige #broadway #musicaltheatre ♬ original sound – danieljmertzlufft

@goszandfotos We had an idea for “For You, Paige”! Thoughts? #ProjectBroadway @danieljmertzlufft #fyp #foryoupage #foryou #musicaltheatre #broadway #fy #foryoupaige ♬ original sound – Gosz & Fotos

There is an impressive amount of enthusiasm and passion around the TikTok musical, but it is yet to be seen whether For You, Paige will live up to the hype. TikTok’s novel approach of bringing together several influencers on the platform and organizing their talents toward a common goal is also innovative.

But perhaps the most remarkable thing about For You, Paige is the fact that it is entirely about TikTok and what place in the culture the platform may hold — whether TikTok content is escapism (like the Utopia novel Paige loves) or reality; a community of insurgent creatives or a competitive pool of young talent just begging to sell out. Ultimately, whether you like the musical or not may depend on what you think of the platform because the line between the two is very blurred.