‘It’s wonderful’: Wicked star Cynthia Erivo says she feels good when audience sings along | Movies

Badass star Cynthia Erivo has joined the debate about whether it’s acceptable to sing along to the blockbuster musical in the cinema – and she’s okay with it.

In an interview with NBC during New York’s traditional Thanksgiving parade on Thursday, Erivo was asked about the issue, which appears to have divided moviegoers down the middle, speaking more in the pro camp, saying, “I’m OK with that with it. We’ve spent so long singing it ourselves – now it’s time for everyone else to sing along. It’s wonderful.”

Erivo plays the green-skinned witch Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Galinda in the big-screen adaptation of the Stephen Schwartz and Winnie Holzman musical, a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz,” itself an adaptation of Gregory Maguire’s novel. After hitting theaters in North America the same weekend as Gladiator II, it broke box office records for Broadway musical adaptations, handily surpassing the numbers of the Gladiator sequel – with which it was linked, Barbenheimer-style, under the hashtag Glicked.

Whether fans should be able to sing along to the film’s musical numbers has sparked heated debate. Erivo echoes the words of Moana 2 voice actor Dwayne Johnson, who, when asked by the BBC on the subject, said: “Sing! You paid your hard-earned money for a ticket, went to a musical and loved it. Singing!” On the other hand, US cinema chain AMC referred to its audience disruption policy and issued a warning: “No singing. No wailing”, while Australian author Patrick Lenton wrote in the Guardian that it was unfair and disrespectful , “imposing one’s voice on the public without consent.” Who do you think can compete with the trained musical skills of Cynthia Erivo (and) Ariana Grande?”

However, arguments over singing could be a thing of the past in a few weeks – interactive “singalong” screenings of “Wicked” will be available in North America starting on Christmas Day.