With the upcoming release of Wicked, the film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical, moviegoers have reported disruptions from fans, a.k.a. “theater kids,” singing along to the soundtrack at screenings.
Writing in News.com.au, which the New York Post also published, Eleanor Katelaris said she attended a screening of Wicked in Sydney, Australia, only to have her worst fears confirmed when several “musical theater kids” began singing along to the soundtrack during the show.
“A group of musical theater kids, who fancied themselves more talented than the on-screen cast, which includes Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and Jonathan Bailey, broke into song,” she wrote.
“After a few exaggerated sighs and one or two side-eyes, they eventually got the message and stopped singing,” she added.
Remy Tumin and Sara Ruberg of the New York Times reported several testimonies from Wicked fans experiencing similar disturbances during movie screenings.
Angela Weir went into a screening of “Wicked” on Monday night ready to be transported to the Land of Oz. But when Glinda (Ariana Grande) began to sing “Popular,” one of the musical’s early numbers, she was not the only one singing.
“It started slow. Then people heard each other — it was like they encouraged each other,” Weir said on Tuesday. “It was a beautiful scene, and then you’re taken out of it.”
As anticipation builds for the film’s release on Friday, some fans who have attended early screenings have ignored theater norms to sing right along with their favorite characters, much to the chagrin and annoyance of other “Wicked” enthusiasts. Many have taken to social media to issue a strict edict: Shush.
Weir admitted that she could not even focus her attention on the film’s finale number, “Defying Gravity,” due to the cacophony of singing voices.
“There’s this incredible last scene of the movie, and I wasn’t even in it because I was so horrified that I could hear other people over Cynthia Erivo. That stunned me,” she said.
Another fan, 28-year-old Leah Barns of York, Pennsylvania, identified herself to the New York Times as a proud “theater kid” who intends to sing along with the film regardless of what her fellow moviegoers think and advised those who might be “judgmental” to wait for the film’s release on streaming.
“People who just are judgmental in that way — please wait to stream it,” Barnes said. “Don’t go the first day and yell at people for singing, for sharing that kind of joy, when we’ve been waiting so long in anticipation for this movie.”
“You can’t stop someone who loves it so much,” she added.Famed movie critic Richard Roeper clapped back on X and called the fan’s sentiment “nonsense.”
“In a [NY Times] article, a Wicked fan who intends to sing her heart out along with the movie says of those who would frown on that: ‘People who just are judgmental in that way, please wait to stream it.’ Nonsense. It should be the other way around,” Roeper stressed.
“Unless it’s a special, ‘singalong’ event, YOU should be the one to wait to stream it, so you can sing to your heart’s content at home, rather than ruining the experience for everyone else at the theater. They’re paying to hear Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, not you,” he added.
Unless it's a special, "singalong" event, YOU should be the one to wait to stream it, so you can sing to your heart's content at home, rather than ruining the experience for everyone else at the theater. They're paying to hear Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, not you.
— Richard Roeper (@RichardERoeper) November 20, 2024
Some movie theaters have even resorted to putting up signs telling moviegoers to refrain from singing during the film’s runtime.
Theaters are putting up signs asking audiences to refrain from singing during ‘WICKED’ pic.twitter.com/2hFow6awe2
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) November 20, 2024
According to Variety, Universal Pictures have set several special Wicked singalong screenings for Christmas, allowing fans to sing their hearts out in a judgement-free theater.
“Moviegoers can channel their inner Glinda and Elphaba during sing-along screenings of Wicked, noted the outlet.
“But they’ll have to wait. Interactive showings of Universal’s upcoming movie musical will be offered in roughly 1,000 North American cinemas starting on Dec. 25 — approximately one month after Wicked lands on the big screen. Exact plans, including the location count and showtimes, have yet to be finalized,” it added.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
