The movie theater is one of my favorite places to go to, I’m typically there at least once a week to watch something. So in this time where people seem more inclined to stay home and watch things on streaming and the frequent worrying reports about the future of movie theaters, I’m thrilled that so many are excited to see a movie like Wicked and are responding by buying tickets to watch it on the big screen.
But I’m not thrilled about all the reports that people are singing along with Wicked when they go to see it in theaters.
Wicked is of course based on the wildly popular Broadway show that premiered in 2003. People have long committed its songs to memory, including the showstoppers “Popular” and “Defying Gravity.” I can understand the excitement about getting to see the story of Elphaba and Glinda and these iconic numbers reimagined for the movie. I can understand how you can get swept up in the moment — I have not seen the stage production but was completely gripped watching the movie, particularly its final number (read my Wicked review for my complete thoughts). If you’re the same and get the feeling that you want to sing along with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, I’m imploring you, please don’t.
This is about movie theater etiquette, which sadly is something we may have to remind people about now that they’re going back to the movie theater.
You may be saying, “I bought a ticket to watchWicked, so why shouldn’t I enjoy the movie however I want?” Well, unless you are the only person in the movie theater (incredibly unlikely in this case), the other people in the audience paid the same price for a ticket as you did. While you may want to make it an interactive experience and sing along, that’s not necessarily what everyone else signed up for and you should be considerate of that.
A movie theater is a communal experience. Comedies can be funnier when you’re laughing out loud with dozens of other people; scary movies can be more frightening when you all get spooked by a jump scare. But those are instant, involuntary reactions; even if you didn’t share that reaction, that’s what you expect when you go see those kind of movies. But when I go see a musical, I expect to hear the actors singing, not the people in the audience who consciously choose to sing along even though that’s not a natural reaction to the movie. Individualism is great, but we also have to remember that there are communal contracts that should be adhered to, and not talking, or singing, in a movie is one of them (while we’re at it, put your phones away as well).
Some people have taken the opposite position to me on this topic, including Dwayne Johnson it seems. One that I particularly want to note is from pop culture writer for The Ringer Mallory Rubin, who said that movie theaters should have “a quiet car” experience, like how the Amtrak trains have a specific section where the expectation is that you do not talk (at least nothing above a whisper). I get what she is going for with this idea, but I believe she has it backwards. I don’t have the numbers on this, but I would tend to think that the likelier majority for audiences going to see Wicked are people who aren’t planning to sing along. So why should they be the ones who have to take an extra step to see the movie? The special screening should be the sing along version.
In fact, we’re actually going to be getting a sing along version of Wicked in the near future. Right around the movie’s premiere it was announced that sing along editions of Wicked would screen in theaters, with Variety reporting that nearly 1,000 North American movie theaters are going to show this version, where you can belt your heart out, starting December 25. Clearly they could/should have had this sooner, but that’s a lesson for Wicked: Part Two.
I never want to discourage people from going to a movie theater. If you feel like my opinion is doing that, I apologize, that is not my intention. I want you to see Wicked and enjoy the experience as much as I did. But you should recognize that while singing may add to your experience, it could negatively impact someone else’s and in turn discourage them from returning to the movie theater.
So, if you were planning on seeing Wicked this holiday weekend and were excited to try and match Erivo note for note on “Defying Gravity,” please think twice and remember your time to do just that in an environment where that is the expectation is coming soon enough. So save your voice.
