Video: Inside the Thrillifying Sound of the WICKED Movie

In the new Wicked movie, sound mixer Simon Hayes wanted to capture as much of the soundtrack live on set as possible.

"I truly believe that the original performance that happens in the moment with actors feeding off each other's emotions- that's when that magic occurs." Hayes shares in a new video. Despite the enormity of the set and production, the musical numbers in the film were performed live by the actors, bringing "an extra dimension to the film." 

"We obviously can't have any music track coming out of speakers because we're recording live," explains Hayes. "So what we do is we give the actors what we call earwigs, which are tiny IEMs...They're literally so small that you don't need to paint them out."

Watch the video to learn more about the sound of Wicked from Hayes, re-recording mixer Andy Nelson, and more sound editors who worked on the film. For another in-depth look, check out BroadwayWorld's interview with Hayes here.

The Wicked film adaptation stars Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, Ariana Grande as Glinda, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Jeff Goldblum as The Wizard, Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Ethan Slater as Boq, and Marissa Bode as Nessarose. The first part was released on November 22, 2024, with Wicked: For Good hitting theaters on November 21, 2025.