Cynthia Erivo Weighs In on ‘Wicked’ Sing-Along Debate: “It’s Time for Everyone Else to Join In” at the Theater
Cynthia Erivo has no problem with moviegoers singing along during screenings of Wicked.
In fact, she fully supports it.
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On Thursday, the film’s star was at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, where she gave an interview to Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie, who hosted NBC’s broadcast of the annual spectacle. Kotb asked Erivo, who plays Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the musical, how she feels about the issue that’s been dividing fans online and noted that many folks have been singing along in theaters.
“Good! I’m OK with it,” Erivo replied. “We spent this long singing it ourselves, it’s time for everyone else to join in. It’s wonderful.”
She falls into the camp of folks who find enjoyment in singing along with the songs featured in the movie, including beloved tunes “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “The Wizard and I.” On the other side of the debate are the ticket buyers who prefer to hear only the actors singing along and don’t want their moviegoing experience disrupted.
The latter group’s stance was backed up by AMC Theatres, which before the film’s release ran a spot asking theatergoers to not sing along at a screening. (Exhibition insiders note Broadway patrons don’t sing while watching a musical.)
Some chains, including AMC and Alamo Drafthouse, are setting up separate sing-along events to accommodate moviegoers who wanted to belt out the lyrics alongside the actors. And starting on Dec. 25, Universal will offer sing-along showings in roughly 1,000 North American cinemas (exact plans, including the location count and showtimes, have yet to be finalized).
Another debate dividing Wicked fans centers on the issue of taking photos during screenings.
On Thursday, Erivo also expressed her joy at being part of the film, which has broken several box office records.
“It’s the most wonderful, unbelievable experience ever,” Erivo said. “This is such a wonderful thing to be able to share with everyone. We’ve been keeping it to ourselves, and now everyone else can watch it.”
The actress-singer also presented Kotb with a bouquet of flowers as the Today host is leaving the show in January, and the 2024 parade will mark her last gig as host of the annual broadcast (though she’s staying within the NBC family).
“Before you even begin, these flowers are for you because I know this is the last Thanksgiving parade you’re doing, and I wanted to celebrate that, and I wanted to say we love you,” Erivo told Kotb. “Thank you for all of the hard work you’ve done for all of these years.”
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