Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo perform ‘Wizard of Oz,’ ‘Wicked’ songs at the Oscars
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How thrillifying that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the Oscars ceremony with a performance of songs from “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz” and “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.
“Anora,” Sean Baker, Mikey Madison, Adrien Brody, Kieran Culkin and Zoe Saldaña were the big winners at the 97th Academy Awards Sunday night.
Grande first delivered a moonlit rendition of “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,” a Dorothy number 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 fellow “Wicked” actor 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.
Sean Baker and “Anora” made Oscars history; Mikey Madison and Adrien Brody won top acting prizes. Catch up on the winners, the fashion and what happened at the show.
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.
Stars ranging from Ariana Grande to Cynthia Erivo and Fernanda Torres have made their arrival to the red carpet
Cerys Davies, Faith Stafford and Kaitlyn Huamani contributed to this report.
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