After last night, we’re all holding space for Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo's Oscars opening performance.
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Instead of the usual monologue from fill-in-the-blank host (this year it was Conan O’Brien). The 97th Academy Awards ceremony began with an homage to Los Angeles, with a montage of films set in the City of Angels, followed by a musical medley from the Wicked-ly talented duo.
First to the stage, Ariana, who received her first Oscar nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category for her role as Glinda, dressed like an actual ruby slipper in a sparkling red dress with a stiletto affixed to the back, performed a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.
After concluding to much applause, Erivo, whose performance as Elphaba earned her a nomination in the Best Actress category, took to the stage to sing an astonishing rendition “Home” by Diana Ross from The Wiz, as a nighttime view of the Griffith Observatory displayed on a screen behind her.
To close out the show-stopping show-starter, Ariana returned to the stage, and the two, hand-in-hand (of course), performed a shortened version of “Defying Gravity,” culminating with Cynthia’s now-famous ending riff.
Erivo and Grande’s performance received an eruption of applause from a star-studded audience, and even a few tears from Michelle Yeoh, who played Madame Morrible in Wicked.
Wicked was up for a total of 10 nominations during last night’s ceremony, taking home two for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
And that concludes the Wicked whirlwind. Who’s ready for round two? Because the second act of Jon M. Chu’s movie musical, Wicked: For Good, arrives in theaters on November 21.
Watch Ariana and Cynthia’s incredible performance above.