Cynthia Erivo recently received some criticism for encouraging fans of Wicked to participate in a rather frustrating behavior while watching the musical in theaters.
Wicked has been dominating the box office, achieving remarkable financial success and captivating audiences globally.
Overall, that’s a positive development.
However, Cynthia Erivo’s suggestion to those fans who haven’t yet seen the movie has caused some controversy, including among myself.
Erivo, portraying Elphaba in the film, addressed fans during an interview at NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast.
When questioned about audience members singing along with the film’s songs in theaters, she expressed her approval.
She stated: “Good. I’m OK with it. We spent this long singing it ourselves — it’s time for everyone else to join in. It’s wonderful.”
Actor Dwayne Johnson has also encouraged audiences to sing along during his film, Disney’s Moana 2.
He commented: “Sing! You’ve paid your hard-earned money for a ticket, and you’ve gone into a musical, and you’re into it. Sing.”
However, not everyone on social media supports this idea.
One fan responded to Erivo’s remarks by bluntly saying: “Nah sorry but shut the f*** up while you are in the theater.”
Another fan questioned: “It would be unacceptable to sing during a live production of the musical. Why is it acceptable in this setting?”
A third person shared: “No. I don’t buy movie tickets to hear random strangers making noise in the theater. I buy movie tickets to watch the movie.”
Someone else suggested: “By all means host DEDICATED Sing-a-long screenings.
“It’s worked fine for Mamma Mia and certain special screenings of certain Disney classics in the past, but attempting to normalize this complete disregard for your fellow audience is part of the reason theaters are struggling.”
An additional comment read: “I don’t want to listen tone deaf people singing at the cinema. We wouldn’t be able to hear the characters at all.”
For those eager to sing along, the interactive sing-along screenings of the film are scheduled to begin on Christmas Day.
So, if you wish to avoid having someone throw popcorn at you while demanding silence, it might be best to wait for these specific screenings.