One Guy’s Grocery Store Musical Parody Snowballed Into A Full-Blown TikTok Production

Daniel Mertzlufft didn’t know he was about to create a magnificent TikTok chain when he uploaded his video, titled “Grocery Store: A New Musical.”

@danieljmertzlufft

Grocery Store: A New Musical #grocerystore #fyp #musicaltheatre #musical #singing #musicaltheater #acting #newmusicals

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

The 27-year-old composer and music director created an original song about a breakup happening in a grocery store.

In the first frame, Mertzlufft captions the video with “Grocery Store But from a Modern Musical Theatre Show” and goes on to explain his composition choices in captions throughout the video.

People in the comments immediately caught on to the video’s Dear Evan Hansen — an award-winning Broadway show — vibes. 

screenshot of tiktok comments

 

The song itself is a parody of Louisa Melcher’s “New York Summer,” and has some super relatable content about getting in an argument in a grocery store. Since the video was posted on Sept. 23, it has received 34k likes and 135.3k views.

Most impressively, though, is the number of duets the video spawned (TikTok duets are when one user takes another user’s video and films their reaction on a split-screen). Here’s a good one:

@kaputkali

#duet with @another.blonde @danieljmertzlufft Grocery Store: The Musical #theatrekid #divorce #grocerystore #musicaltheatre #mom #dad

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

And there are MANY more, with people just building and building onto the story.

https://www.tiktok.com/@ireallylikemusica1s/video/6876151466671738117

@jacob.t.olsen

#duet with @linenandcurls My official audition for Grocery Store: A New Musical #PaTiChallenge #FeelingGood #grocerystore #fyp #musicaltheatre

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

https://www.tiktok.com/@taronegertonsthighs/video/6877262552108158213

Actor and singer Skylar Astin even got in on the meme.

@skylarastin

duet with @another.blonde

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

And they got more and more complicated as the meme gained steam.

@igorandwheezy

#duet with @rikygalvin I just want my organic cabbage without getting a shower is that too much to ask 💦🥬 #greenscreen #grocerystore #fyp #spray

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

@themichaelspencer

#duet with @alexengelberg in a grocery store #greenscreen #newyorksummer #fyp #foryou

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

The automatic door even chimed in!

@stevenglukas

#duet with @themichaelspencer Steven is honored to be making his b-way debut as the automatic door #greenscreen #grocerystore #musical #theatrekid

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

Somehow a horse found its way into the store.

@theonlytylerl

#duet with @themichaelspencer this is normal in the Midwest #greenscreen #trumpet #bandmeme #horse #brass #bandkid #fyp #foryou #midwest

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

Uh oh! Someone lost Grayson!

@mk_pets

I forgot to sing oops ¯_(ツ)_/¯ #duet with @stevenglukas #grocerystore #comedy #funny #fy #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #viral

♬ Grocery Store Musical New York Summer MT parody – danieljmertzlufft

You can view the rest of the duets through the original sound here.

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