On a Wednesday afternoon in late September, thousands of “Wicked” fans, journalists and other guests gathered at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood to celebrate the beloved musical film at the taping of “Wicked: One Wonderful Night.”
With a mood board of looks ranging from classic witch to Emerald City glamor to Shiz prep, the Dolby Theater was decked out in green, pink and plenty of elaborate costumes, including a group of drag queens dressed like the main cast of “Wicked.”
With no guests for the special announced beyond leading ladies Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, some audience members spotted Bowen Yang backstage, preparing to introduce Grande during the special’s opening number, “No One Mourns the Wicked,” which featured choreography with flowers for audience members on the main floor of the Dolby.
As taping of the special stretched into the night, the production team reset sets or requested a rework of several songs, and there were several memorable moments from the taping of “One Wonderful Night” that were not included in the two-hour cut that aired on NBC Nov. 6 and will air on Peacock beginning Friday.
Cynthia Erivo defied gravity twice and more rehearsals
Perhaps the most memorable performance of the evening was Erivo’s “Defying Gravity,” which saw the multi-hyphenate defy gravity in the Dolby Theater with a flying harness that had been tested earlier in the show, giving attendees a glimpse of what was to come. And when it happened, it was epic, eliciting an emotional response from the audience as Erivo was brought up to level with the guests on the mezzanine.
From the end, fans clamored for an encore, and thankfully the performance was worth a repeat, giving audiences a second chance to hear the beloved song – and that ending belter – live twice.
“Defying Gravity” was among several songs performed twice in a row during recording, including “The Wizard and I”, “What Is This Feeling?” and a new song from “Wicked: For Good”, “Thank Goodness”, which was rehearsed by Grande due to a lighting problem. The audience was also treated to an encore of a final medley of “Get Happy” and “Happy Days Are Here Again,” in a nod to Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand’s “The Judy Garland Show.”
Bowen Yang criticizes the audience for thinking we were playing “For Good” live
While the special featured several songs from “Wicked: For Good” sung live for the first time, including “Thank Goodness” and excerpts from the original songs “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl In The Bubble,” Los Angeles audiences did not have the pleasure of hearing “For Good” live. Yang introduced the song, explaining that it would be performed at New York’s Gershwin Theater, prompting disappointed sighs from the audience.
Yang chastised the audience for thinking that arguably the most anticipated song would be performed live that night, telling the audience, “You’re not going to get that until the movie!”
As expected, Erivo and Grande were joined by Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth at the Gershwin for “For Good,” which debuted during the special.
Marissa Bode receives standing ovation for speaking out against ‘power-hungry dictators’
Introducing “Defying Gravity,” Marissa Bode’s remarks highlighted that Elphaba stood up to a “power-hungry dictator.” The statement, which summed up Elphaba’s accusation against the Sorcerer, immediately garnered a standing ovation from the audience, which seemed to resonate with the message in the current political climate.
The standing ovation was anything but brief, although the moment was cut from the special, with Bode’s introduction cut off after he said, “This song is an ode to authenticity and believing in yourself, no matter what obstacles the world puts in your way,” with no mention of “power-hungry dictators” in the special.
Bowen Yang and Ariana Grande are obsessed with Michelle Yeoh’s voguing
As the evening progressed, the cast had a few laughs they couldn’t contain, including when Yang and Grande filmed independent introductions for the special. When the cameras weren’t rolling, Yang applauded what he called Yeoh’s voguing during “What Is This Feeling?” which led to a series of jokes between the two men. “We’re fired,” Grande joked after going a little off-script.
Ariana Grande comes out for “thank you, next”
As set and costume changes took place on stage, audience members were encouraged to let loose to the music playing over the Dolby speakers, with the evening’s emcee leading the dances to “HOT TO GO!” » by Chappell Roan. But one of the best candid moments of the night had to be when Grande poked her head out from backstage when she heard fans chanting for “thank you, next.”
“Wicked: One Wonderful Night” premieres Thursday, November 6 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and begins streaming on Peacock beginning November 7.
