Not even Wicked is immune from the 2020s tendency to turn everything into a possible fight. The first hotly anticipated two-part theatrical adaption of the blockbuster Broadway musical opened in theaters this weekend, with stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande thrilling audiences with their renditions of songs such as “Defying Gravity.” That the experience is so transcendent is apparently part of the problem: Concerns that some patrons might break into song are prompting some pretty extreme preemptive measures to keep everyone’s lips zipped.
Singing along with a film has always been encouraged at special, participatory screenings or the midnight ritual known as the Rocky Horror Picture Show. But the recent rise of the so-called “demon scream” at live concerts, in which patrons drown out headliners by shrieking over the singers they’ve paid to see, has raised concerns among some that the behavior could spread to smaller-scale venues. A popular, 21-year-old musical such as Wicked seems, perhaps, like a target-rich environment.
AMC, the world’s largest movie theater chain, decided to get ahead of any disruptions by posting signs about movie etiquette that have been widely shared on social media. “To our guests seeing Wicked, we ask that you allow everyone to enjoy the cinema experience,” they read. “Please refrain from singing during the show.” The printed-out signs join the message the chain plays before every film, which says, “At AMC Theatres, silence is golden. No talking. No texting. No singing. No wailing. No Flirting. And absolutely no name-calling. Enjoy the magic of movies.”
According to AMC spokesperson Ryan Noonan, announcing these policies is all that stands between Oz and mayhem. “AMC has a long-standing policy that prohibits disruptive behavior,” he told the Indianapolis Star. “The WICKED preshow spot 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.” (It’s unclear if Noonan has ever attended a movie at his place of business, as his company’s texting and talking prohibitions are as studiously observed as the booze rules at an average Big 10 university’s dorm.)
Chicago Sun-Times critic Richard Roeper voiced support of AMC’s guidance, tweeting, “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.”
Illinois special education teacher Ariane Tyler was so concerned about the threat of unapproved songbirds that she—per the Wall Street Journal—rented out a theater for a private viewing, and created a private Facebook group to communicate the rules of the event. Bathroom breaks, loud chewing, and costumes are verboten, but her harshest words are for singers. “Unless you have won a Tony,” she wrote, “no singing will be permitted.”
“I’m so serious when I talk about these rules,” Tyler told the WSJ. So serious in fact, that her children (aged 8 and 5) will not be allowed to attend the evening. She can’t trust them not to sing, she says.
If all this sounds tiresomely rigid, or like an active war on fun, theaters have a special Christmas gift just for you. Variety reported earlier this week that starting on December 25, around 1,000 theaters across North America will host “interactive showings” of the film.
If you need to break out in song a bit sooner, Elphaba and Glinda might give you a pass, even if your fellow patrons won’t. In a recent interview, Ervio (who plays Elphaba) said, “If you come the first time and you sing through, sing through. But come a second time and let us sing to you.”
“We understand it if you [sing],” Grande (Glinda) says. “We respect the feelings … but if someone throws popcorn at you, their phone or something, maybe stop.”
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