We have been blessed with more “wicked” content, as Wicked: One Wonderful Night premiered on November 6 and is now available to watch on Peacock. This televised spectacular celebration honors Wicked, teases Wicked: For Good, and practically threw themselves an award show as they performed at The Dolby Theatre, where the Oscars are held. Wicked: One Wonderful Night is truly a showcase for the dedicated and loving fans, whether they came from the original musical or just the films. Now, let’s go over the highlights of the show!
Jonathan Bailey Missing
Almost the entire main cast attended, but we saw our Fieyro nowhere, besides some pre-taped segments showing the cast sitting and chatting on couches. Jonathan Bailey, being the only cast member not in attendance, was a bit of a letdown, but he may have been busy after being named Sexiest Man Alive by People Magazine. We did get an inside look at Bailey’s quick audition as he sings Dancing Through Life in a small dressing room in the West End, but he is interrupted by a five-minute warning over the intercom.
We did have “understudies” for Fieyro, as Bowen Yang and Ethan Slater “competed” for the role. Marissa Bode also came out in the Fieyro costume and brought everyone together to sing and all be Fieyro.
Best of Sketches
Like we see in modern award shows, Wicked: One Wonderful Night has a lot of pre-taped sketches that vary in quality. Though we’d have to say the best one is what the actors took from the set, and Jeff Goldblum “stole” the giant bust of his head. We see him living with the bust, which was definitely an ad-level type of funny, and Ariana Grande gave a funny, deadpan reaction throughout the sketch.
A Wonderful Rendition
Goldblum actually used his piano skills and tickled the keys with Cynthia Erivo on a stripped-down version of The Wizard and I. We thought the stripped-down version was beautiful by itself, and while the song perfectly fit Erivo’s vocal style, the orchestra and dancers ruined it a little when they came in, making it feel like too many elements.
Fan Montage
The special also included a fan montage! Showing videos of fans all over the world truly embracing and enjoying the Wicked franchise. It brought a smile to our faces as we saw the new generation get an introduction to such an inspiring story. It truly is emotional to think of the fact that they can grow up with these films, rewatch them, and not have to go and see the musical. Though we do encourage seeing a production of it if possible. It is incredible what they can do as well.
Grande brought one of the montage fans onstage to join her. To play the Elphaba to her Glinda for a rendition of Popular. His name is Remington, the most oz-dorable child ever. Grande agrees as she fawns over the child on the stage. She’s joyful when he does it, especially during the toss toss.
Songs That Were Left Out and Introduced
They included some of the more skippable songs as well, with Michelle Yeoh voguing to Dear Old Shiz. We also had a Sentimental Man tap solo that we weren’t sure was absolutely needed. One song that we didn’t hear, though, was Something Bad. We also didn’t see Peter Dinklage, who sings the song. Lastly, we didn’t get to hear Bode herself sing her parts. However, we did get to hear snippets of the two new songs. “No Place Like Home” and “The Girl in the Bubble”. They both seem like touching ballads to Elphaba and Glinda.
A Reunion
We got to see our OG’s once again, Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. They sang For Good with Grande and Erivo. They were accompanied by Stephen Schwartz, who wrote the original musical, at the Gershwin Theatre under the Time Dragon Clock. Schwartz rewrote the bridge lyrics for Menzel and Chenoweth, no longer sharing blame or forgiving each other. The pre-taped heartwarming performance featured the ladies sounding great together.
Erivo Flys
We get a grand rendition of Defying Gravity by Erivo. She belts out the lyrics while being hoisted by pulleys into the air. She flew over the crowd and even sang to those in the “cheap” seats. The budget seems to be through the roof for all the artistic choices and the choice of venue.
Happy Times
Finally, Erivo and Grande channeled Barbra Streisand and Judy Garland in a rendition of “Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again”. It seems to be one of the more soulful pieces in the promotional event. It harkens back to a time when musical variety specials were prime-time television. Wicked: One Wonderful Night was just about two hours long, and we think it didn’t necessarily need to be. Cutting the lesser songs and some bland sketches would have given it a more special feeling. Overall, the special was heartwarming and enjoyable to us and fans of Wicked.
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