Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo brought Oz to the Oscars, kicking off the 97th annual ceremony with a musical medley from “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Wiz” and “Wicked.”
After a tribute to Los Angeles, which is recovering from devastating wildfires, Grande took the stage to perform a heartwarming rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” before Erivo wowed the crowd with “Home” from “The Wiz.” Then, they joined forces for “Defying Gravity,” the show stopper at the end of the first act of “Wicked,” though Grande (whose dress was adorned with a ruby red slipper) stepped aside to let Erivo belt out her on-screen character’s famous battle cry.
The wickedly talented Grande and Erivo star as the perky, pink-loving Glinda and green-skinned Elphaba in “Wicked,” which chronicles the first act of the long-running Broadway sensation. In addition to box office riches, the musical adaptation is nominated for 10 Academy Awards, including best picture, actress for Erivo and supporting actress for Grande.
Queen Latifah, Doja Cat, Blackpink member and “The White Lotus” cast member Lisa and British singer Raye will take the stage at later points in the telecast. It’s not yet clear what they’ll sing, though it won’t be any of the best original song contenders from “Emilia Pérez”(“El Mal” and “Mi Camino”), “Sing Sing” (“Like a Bird”), “Elton John: Never Too Late” (“Never Too Late”) and “The Six Triple Eight” (“The Journey”).
In a break from tradition, this year’s Oscars ceremony will not include performances of nominees for best original song. Though “Wicked,” a prequel (and sequel) of sorts to “The Wizard of Oz,” has a memorable soundtrack, it wasn’t ineligible for song consideration because all of the tunes were featured in the Broadway production.
Though rare, it’s not unprecedented for the Oscars to spotlight songs that aren’t nominated for anything. That’s what happened in 2022 when “Despacito” songwriter Luis Fonsi, Becky G and Megan Thee Stallion assembled to perform “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s “Encanto.” The expected viral sensation was all the rage on TikTok but wasn’t even a contender for original song because Disney decided to submit the film’s sentimental love song “Dos Oruguitas” for awards consideration instead. (It lost to Billie Eilish’s ballad “No Time to Die” from the James Bond film of the same name.)
Conan O’Brien is hosting the 97th annual Academy Awards, which is airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez,” a musical about a drug kingpin who undergoes gender affirming surgery, A24’s “The Brutalist,” a historical epic about the immigrant experience and Universal’s “Wicked” are the most nominated films of the night.
Whether or not “Wicked” walks away from the 2025 Oscars as a winner, Grande and Erivo’s promotional tour won’t stop anytime soon. “Wicked: For Good,” the second half of the fantasy musical, debuts in theaters on Nov. 22.
From Variety US