‘Wicked: One Wonderful Night’: 5 dazzling moments from the musical special
-
Click here to listen to this article - Share via
- “Wicked: One Wonderful Night” aired Thursday on NBC from Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, reuniting Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo to promote the Nov. 21 film sequel.
- The special featured fan-favorite songs, exclusive previews of two new tracks, and a surprise Broadway reunion with original “Wicked” stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth.
- Highlights included a viral 4-year-old superfan joining Grande on stage and Erivo’s jaw-dropping rendition of “Defying Gravity” performed while suspended in the air.
For “Wicked” fans eagerly awaiting the release of “Wicked: For Good” — the movie that will hit theaters Nov. 21, one year after the first installment of the adaptation was released — the good people of Oz have an offering to stave off that impatience.
Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and the rest of the cast reunited on stage for “Wicked: One Wonderful Night” — a musical celebration that aired on NBC Thursday night.
The special was taped at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood earlier this year in front of a roaring crowd of fans decked out in elaborate costumes, many with green painted faces.
A 37-piece live orchestra played on an intricately designed Emerald City-inspired set as the cast performed fan favorites from the musical, including “Defying Gravity,” “Popular” and “Dancing Through Life.”
Why is ‘Wicked’ two parts? What’s the meaning of the Emerald City scene that features ‘Defying Gravity’? The creative team behind Universal’s blockbuster musical breaks it all down.
Erivo and Grande also introduced a sneak peak at two brand-new songs, written for the upcoming movie — Elphaba’s “There’s No Place Like Home,” and Glinda’s “The Girl in the Bubble.”
Some cast members — Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang and Marissa Bode — joined Erivo and Grande on stage for the performances, and Jonathan Bailey participated in prerecorded segments.
If you missed the broadcast of “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” it is now available to stream on Peacock. Here are the best moments from the special.
A jazzy rendition of ‘The Wizard and I,’ accompanied by the Wizard himself
After Grande and a large ensemble of singers and dancers opened the evening with “No One Mourns the Wicked,” Erivo brought things to a level of quiet intimacy with “The Wizard and I.”
Goldblum, who plays the Wizard in the films, got behind an emerald green piano and said, “I’m the luckiest guy on Earth,” when Erivo agreed to let him accompany her. He also warned the musical’s composer, Stephen Schwartz, that they were going to put their own spin on the song.
Erivo then launched into what she does best — a raw vocal performance with complicated runs, lots of belting and a jazzy flair, making “The Wizard and I” one of the best performances of the special.
Audition tapes from Jonathan Bailey ... and Shaq?
In a pretaped segment, Jonathan Bailey spoke with his castmates about his audition process to land the role of Fiyero.
The newly minted “Sexiest Man Alive” said that he recorded himself singing “Dancing Through Life” in his dressing room while he was in the middle of the live performance of a play and that even though a five-minute call urging the cast to get to the stage area interrupted his take, he sent it in anyway.
“I’m worried about this section. They’re not gonna suddenly cut to it,” Bailey said just before a clip of his tape played, which included the interruption on the theater’s intercom.
Later in the special, “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu said he wanted to show off some never-before-seen footage of auditions celebrities sent in for the movie. Interspersed with footage of Grande and Erivo were clips of Ludacris, Rob Gronkowski, Shaquille O’Neal, Gayle King, Ken Jeong, Heidi Klum and Khloe Kardashian submitting tounge-in-cheek “audition” tapes, many with off-key singing.
Remington, the 4-year-old superfan, plays Elphaba
In a heartwarming compilation highlighting the global and intergenerational fanbase, fans submitted clips of themselves singing their favorite “Wicked” tunes and speaking about why they love the movie and musical. One fan, 4-year-old Remington, got a prominent spotlight. A video of the child singing “Defying Gravity” at a doctor’s appointment went viral on social media earlier this year.
When Grande came on stage after the montage played, she revealed that Remington was seated in the front row, decked out in an Elphaba costume. Gushing over the child, Grande invited him to the stage to “be my Elphie for this next song.”
She proceeded to sing “Popular” opposite Remington, and he even chimed in with Elphaba’s quick lines in the song. Grande taught him how to properly pull off a hair toss — she demonstrated and he quickly repeated the motion. She gifted him a replica of her character’s training wand before closing out the song.
Ariana Grande proves herself a ‘modern-day Lucille Ball’ with ‘Popular,’ the funniest number in ‘Wicked.’ The film’s creative team explains how it all came together.
A tear-jerking performance of ‘For Good’ — with a special reunion
Filmed at the Gershwin Theatre, where performances of the Broadway musical “Wicked” began 22 years ago, Erivo and Grande performed “For Good.” The song celebrates Elphaba and Glinda’s friendship and provides the namesake for the second film installment.
The two stars simply stood in front of each other, singing and showing off the friendship that seems to extend beyond their characters. Erivo’s eyes welled with tears, and Grande had to wipe them away during the performance.
Schwartz played along on the piano. And toward the end of the song, the Broadway musical’s original stars, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, joined Grande and Erivo in singing the emotional ballad in a special arrangement for the group.
‘Happy Days’ and warm parting words
In the closing number, Grande and Erivo sang “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again,” a duet originally sung by Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. The medley has an infectiously optimistic spirit and a soaring melody.
“Wicked” teaches audiences to “look beneath the surface and see the beauty in our differences,” Erivo said as the pair introduced the song.
“Oz has always been a magical place that celebrates uniqueness and embraces every color of the rainbow,” Grande said.
“In times like these that feel so divided, as if we’re reading from different pages and different books,” Erivo said, “we want you all to know that you’re never alone, and you’re safe with us. And we love you so much,” Grande concluded.
Bonus: Cynthia Erivo sings ‘Defying Gravity’ while suspended
A celebration of all things “Wicked” wouldn’t be complete without a performance of “Defying Gravity.” But Erivo upped the ante by taking the lyrics of the song literally. She completed the rousing anthem, a song that is famously difficult to perform live, completely suspended in the air.
