‘Wicked: One Wonderful Night’: 5 dazzling moments from the musical special

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Fans excited about the upcoming movie “Wicked: For Good,” which arrives in theaters on November 21st (a year after the first part of the story is released), have a little something to hold them over until then.

Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, and the entire cast of ‘Wicked’ came together for a special musical event, ‘Wicked: One Wonderful Night,’ which aired on NBC Thursday evening.

The show was filmed at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood earlier this year, with a lively audience full of fans wearing creative costumes—many had even painted their faces green!

The cast performed beloved songs from the musical – like “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” and “Dancing Through Life” – accompanied by a 37-piece live orchestra and a beautifully detailed set inspired by the Emerald City.

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Ever wondered why the musical ‘Wicked’ is being released in two movies? Or what the powerful ‘Defying Gravity’ scene in the Emerald City really means? The team who brought the hit musical to life explains everything.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande previewed two original songs from the new movie: “There’s No Place Like Home,” sung by Elphaba, and “The Girl in the Bubble,” sung by Glinda.

Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, and Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande all performed together on stage. Jonathan Bailey appeared in pre-recorded portions of the show.

If you didn’t get a chance to watch “Wicked: One Wonderful Night” when it originally aired, you can now stream it on Peacock. Here’s a look at the highlights from the show.

A jazzy rendition of ‘The Wizard and I,’ accompanied by the Wizard himself

The show began with a grand performance of “No One Mourns the Wicked” featuring Ariana Grande and a large cast. Then, Cynthia Erivo shifted the mood to something more personal and delicate with her rendition of “The Wizard and I.”

Jeff Goldblum, known for playing the Wizard in the movies, was thrilled when Cynthia Erivo allowed him to play piano while she sang. He called himself incredibly lucky and playfully told the show’s composer, Stephen Schwartz, that they were going to add their own unique touch to the song.

Erivo truly shined, delivering a powerful and soulful vocal performance of “The Wizard and I.” Her performance, filled with impressive vocal runs and strong high notes, had a jazzy feel and stood out as a highlight of the special.

Audition tapes from Jonathan Bailey … and Shaq?

Jonathan Bailey shared stories with his fellow actors about how he prepared for and won the part of Fiyero, in a segment that was filmed beforehand.

The actor recently named “Sexiest Man Alive” shared that he secretly recorded himself singing “Dancing Through Life” while performing in a play. He was interrupted mid-recording by a five-minute call reminding the cast to get ready, but he still submitted the clip anyway.

Just before a clip from his recording was shown—which featured the interruption over the theater’s speakers—Bailey expressed his concern, saying, “I’m worried they won’t just jump to this part.”

During the special, “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu shared some previously unseen audition clips. Along with footage of Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the special included funny “audition” tapes from celebrities like Ludacris, Rob Gronkowski, Shaquille O’Neal, Gayle King, Ken Jeong, Heidi Klum, and Khloe Kardashian, most of whom playfully showed off their intentionally bad singing.

Remington, the 4-year-old superfan, plays Elphaba

A touching video collection showcased fans of all ages and from around the world sharing their love for “Wicked.” Fans sent in clips of themselves singing songs from the movie and musical and explaining what makes it special. One standout moment featured 4-year-old Remington, whose viral video of him singing “Defying Gravity” during a doctor’s visit earlier this year was included.

After the video montage finished, Ariana Grande announced that a young fan named Remington was in the audience, dressed as the character Elphaba. She was thrilled and invited him onstage to join her for the next song, calling him ‘my Elphie’.

She sang “Popular” with Remington, and he playfully joined in by reciting Elphaba’s fast-paced parts. Grande then showed him how to do her signature hair flip, and he picked it up quickly. As the song ended, she gave him a copy of the wand her character uses.

Movies

Ariana Grande shines as a comedic force in the movie ‘Wicked,’ earning comparisons to Lucille Ball with her hilarious performance of the song ‘Popular.’ The filmmakers share the story behind how this memorable scene was created.

A tear-jerking performance of ‘For Good’ — with a special reunion

As a huge “Wicked” fan, I was completely blown away by the performance filmed at the Gershwin Theatre – the very place where the musical first enchanted audiences 22 years ago! Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo singing “For Good” was especially moving. It’s a beautiful song about the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda, and it’s also the perfect title for the second movie they’re making!

Watching those two together was just incredible. They were facing each other, singing, and you could really feel a genuine connection – it felt like their friendship went way beyond just playing their roles. I even saw tears welling up in Cynthia Erivo’s eyes, and Ariana Grande gently wiped them away while they were performing. It was a really touching moment.

Schwartz accompanied them on the piano, and it was incredible! As the song neared its end, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth – the original stars of the Broadway show – came out and joined Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. They all sang this really moving song together in a beautiful arrangement created just for them.

‘Happy Days’ and warm parting words

For the finale, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo performed a duet of “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again,” a song famously sung by Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand. The performance was full of joyful energy and featured a beautiful, uplifting melody.

As they introduced the song, Erivo explained that “Wicked” encourages people to look beyond appearances and appreciate what makes each of us unique.

Ariana Grande described Oz as a wonderfully magical place that values individuality and welcomes everyone, no matter how different they are.

With so much division right now, it often feels like we’re all living in different worlds,” Erivo explained. “We want everyone to know they’re not alone and that they’re safe with us.” Grande finished by saying, “We love you all very much.”

Bonus: Cynthia Erivo sings ‘Defying Gravity’ while suspended

Any tribute to the musical “Wicked” needs to include “Defying Gravity.” But Cynthia Erivo took the performance to the next level. She sang the famously challenging song while completely suspended in the air, truly bringing the lyrics to life.

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2025-11-07 14:32