Should you be able to sing along to musical theatre tunes if you go to a movie theatre to see a film? Absolutely fucking not, if you ask me. In the grand scheme of things, my opinion doesn’t matter. However, broadway superstar and Wicked‘s latest Elphaba Cynthia Erivo‘s opinion does matter and she’s given audiences the green light to sing along to Wicked whilst watching it in the cinema. Folks, I’m gonna explode.
The topic of singing along in cinemas has been widely debated this week online, following the musical film’s release on November 20. So, naturally, during NBC’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast, host Hoda Kotb asked Erivo whether she felt it was appropriate for fans to sing along while watching the movie.
“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.”
Look, I totally understand where she’s coming from but I don’t think Miss Girl really thought through what she just said.
Erivo just gave permission to every Wicked-obsessed, green-painted superfan who sings “Defying Gravity” in their bedroom to pipe up whilst sitting amongst dozens of people. Not just in specific singalong sessions — which do exist — but in any screening of the musical film.
This is a travesty.
If someone sitting next to me decided to sing their own little trill along with Ariana Grande and Erivo, I think I’d spontaneously combust.
Regardless of the talent level of the person singing, audience members didn’t pay to hear some rando belt out their own rendition of “Popular”. They paid to hear the stars of the film.
Imagine if this same logic was applied to a stage performance of Wicked? We’d all be in uproar, the stars included!
Erivo isn’t the only celebrity to endorse in-cinema singing. Earlier this week, Dwyane ‘The Rock’ Johnson encouraged fans to singalong in theatres during Moana 2.
“Sing! You’ve paid your hard-earned money for a ticket, and you’ve gone into a musical, and you’re into it. Sing,” he said on the red carpet at the animated film’s premiere.
“Especially if you love music, that’s the fun part.”
Do I get the logic? Absolutely, the sentiment is lovely. However, it also ruins it for everyone else. So, if you don’t want to make a full theatre of enemies, keep your pretty little mouth shut, enjoy the film and hold space for the lyrics of “Defying Gravity”. Silently.
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