In recent times, Hollywood has witnessed an unusual trend – films that are essentially song-and-dance musicals, yet marketed in a way that conceals this very fact. The song-filled 'Wonka' was not advertised as a musical; the 'Mean Girls' musical adaptation featured Olivia Rodrigo songs in its trailers instead of its own musical numbers; even 'Joker: Folie À Deux' stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga insisted during the promotional tour that their film is not a musical. This phenomenon, though not entirely new (recall audiences discovering Tim Burton’s 'Sweeney Todd' in 2007 was a full-on Stephen Sondheim adaptation only after watching it), appears particularly prevalent today.
One film that has been more upfront about its Broadway origins is Jon M. Chu’s two-part adaptation of 'Wicked'. While early teasers were oddly devoid of songs, more recent trailers have made it clear that it is a musical. Star Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch Of The West, emphasizes the importance of being upfront about a film’s musical nature in a recent interview with Empire. “There’s something truly special about a movie musical. At its core, it becomes a spectacle, whether you like it or not,” she says. “I believe we don’t give audiences enough credit when it comes to musicals, so we pretend they aren’t musicals. But now, it’s okay to just say, ‘Hey, this is a musical, come and see it, you’ll survive... and you might even like it!’”
The reluctance to showcase songs in trailers could be due to the divisive nature of musicals – some audiences simply don’t enjoy them (or claim not to). “I never understand when [musical haters] say, ‘Why are people singing randomly?’,” Erivo remarks. “Because people sing every day, randomly, in the middle of the street! They literally do! I’ve sat in cars and seen people just singing along to songs! Or the number of times people do that passive-aggressive thing of, when something happens they don’t like, instead of asking, ‘What’s going on?’, they sing the thing that’s happening. Or at football stadiums, all of a sudden, everyone is singing along together — that’s singing in real life!” Be honest: disliking every musical is about as impossible as defying gravity.
Read Empire’s full interview with Cynthia Erivo – discussing being an outsider, singing with Ariana Grande, connecting with 'Wicked', and working with cinematic legends – in the 'Mickey 17' issue, on sale Thursday 24 October. Order a copy online here. 'Wicked' comes to UK cinemas from 22 November.
Source link: https://www.empireonline.com
