Cynthia Erivo has welcomed cinemagoers singing along to ‘Wicked’.
The 37-year-old actress – who portrays Elphaba in the blockbuster adaptation of the hit musical – has no problems with fans belting out the film’s musical numbers, despite some cinema chains requesting those booking to see ‘Wicked’ stay quiet during the screenings in order to not interfere with other moviegoers’ experience. The original Broadway production has been seen by over 60 million people worldwide.
“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,” she told ‘Today’ when asked what she thinks about people singing at the cinema. Musical theater enthusiasts have historically shown strong support for film adaptations, with sing-along screenings becoming increasingly popular.
Cynthia has had a “wonderful” time working on ‘Wicked‘ and is delighted the first part of the saga is finally out. The production budget reportedly exceeded $100 million, making it one of the most expensive movie musicals ever made.
“It’s the most wonderful, unbelievable experience ever. 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,” she said. The film’s marketing campaign has reached over 200 million people globally.
The actress’ comments come after AMC Theatres confirmed they have asked moviegoers not to sing during screenings of ‘Wicked’ to prevent disruption. AMC operates over 950 theaters worldwide, making this policy significant for the film’s theatrical run.
“AMC has a long-standing policy that prohibits disruptive behavior,” Spokesperson Ryan Noonan told the Indianapolis Star newspaper. “The ‘Wicked’ preshow spot [which includes ‘no singing’] incorporates the themes of the film as a fun, engaging reminder to moviegoers to not disrupt the experience for those around them as they enjoy the show.”
Meanwhile, Cynthia recently admitted she turned down having her skin turned green with CGI for the movie but she felt it better for her performance to have make-up applied everyday. Traditional makeup techniques have been used in theater productions of ‘Wicked’ since its debut in 2003.
And despite spending hours getting ready as a result, she never found it inconvenient. The makeup team consisted of over 20 professionals working in shifts to maintain consistency throughout filming.
“It was really comfy! I think, depending on what we were doing for the day, it could take anything from two-and-a-half hours to four-and-a-half (in the make-up chair). It felt like a second skin. I was never irritated by it,” Cynthia told Empire magazine.
“I think a lot of research went into what shade would be right, what would sit on my skin in the right way and how I could take care of my skin whilst it was in the make-up. The makeup development phase alone took six months of testing various formulations.
“There was the option to do CGI. I was asked if I wanted to do that, or to do practical, and I knew I wanted to do practical before I even started, because I wanted to be able to look at my hands and see green hands.
“I wanted to look in the mirror and see a green face. I also wanted to see the reactions of other people seeing me as green person, as opposed to me walking in as myself, because it informed how I performed.”
Cynthia gained recognition for her acting work on stage and is delighted with the current trend for movie musicals such as ‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ and ‘Wonka’. The movie musical genre has seen a resurgence, with box office revenues for the category increasing by 45% since 2020.
“There’s something really special about a movie musical. In its essence, it becomes a spectacle, whether you like it or not,” she said. Recent successful movie musicals have demonstrated audience appetite for the genre across different demographics.
“I think that we don’t give audiences enough credit when it comes to musicals, so we pretend that musicals aren’t musicals.
“And I think now, it’s okay to just be like, ‘Hey, this is a musical, come and see it, you’ll survive… and you might even like it!'” The film industry has invested over $500 million in musical adaptations scheduled for release in the next two years.
