How thrillifying that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the Oscars ceremony with a performance of songs from “Wicked.”
At the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, the two Oscar-nominated stars treated audiences to a musical history of Oz onstage and onscreen.
Grande first delivered a moonlit rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” which Judy Garland famously sang as Dorothy in the movie “The Wizard of Oz.”
Erivo then belted her version of “Home” from the 1975 Broadway musical “The Wiz,” originally performed by Stephanie Mills onstage and by Diana Ross in the 1978 film adaptation.
The two then joined hands to reprise a section of “Defying Gravity,” their finale duet from “Wicked.”
Once Erivo sang Elphaba’s iconic war cry, attendees in the auditorium gave the duo a standing ovation — with Michelle Yeoh and others even wiping away tears — and the media room exploded with cheers and applause.
Universal’s big-screen take on the blockbuster musical was nominated for 10 awards, including the performances of Erivo and Grande as lead actress and supporting actress, respectively, as well as for best picture, costume design, production design, film editing, sound, makeup and hairstyling, visual effects and original score.
Set before Dorothy’s arrival in “The Wizard of Oz,” “Wicked” centers on the two women who become Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West, and the change in their friendship when society pits them against each other.
Jon M. Chu directs the two-part adaptation of the Stephen Schwartz stage musical, based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, L. Frank Baum’s 1900 fantasy novel and the 1939 film adaptation.
The first film has grossed $728 million at the global box office, making it Hollywood’s highest-grossing film adaptation of a Broadway musical. The second movie, titled “Wicked: For Good,” hits theaters on Nov. 21.
Cerys Davies, Faith Stafford and Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.
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