Cynthia Onyedinmanasu Chinasaokwu Erivo (born 8 January 1987) is an English actress, singer, and songwriter.
She is known for her performance as Celie in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, and the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program, the latter two she shared with the rest of the cast.
Erivo ventured into films in 2018, with roles in the heist film Widows and the thriller Bad Times at the El Royale. In 2019, she portrayed abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic Harriet, for which she earned nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
Cynthia Erivo Weighs In On ‘Wicked’ Fans Singing Along In Theaters
deadline.comWicked star Cynthia Erivo says she’s perfectly fine with fans singing along to the musical in movie theaters. “Good! I’m OK with it,” she said during a chat with Today‘s Hoda Kotb, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie during today’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “We spent this long singing it ourselves, it’s time for everyone else to join in.
It’s wonderful.” Erivo plays Elphaba in Jon M. Chu’s film adaptation of the musical which has been breaking records at the box office.
Fans singing along during screenings of the film has sparked an online debate about audience conduct in theaters. Some theater managers have requested moviegoers stay mum through the show.
Theaters are putting up signs asking audiences to refrain from singing during ‘WICKED’ pic.twitter.com/2hFow6awe2 Among those opposed to audiences singing along is AMC Theatres spokesperson Ryan Noonan who told the Indianapolis Star that AMC has asked moviegoers not to sing during the musical to prevent disruptions. “AMC has a long-standing policy that prohibits disruptive behavior,” he told the publication. “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.” Erivo is relishing being a part of the movie, telling Kotb, Roker and Guthrie, “It’s the most wonderful, unbelievable experience ever.
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