The 97th Academy Awards opened with a musical medley of Wicked performed by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the leading stars of the 2024 movie adaptation. The much-awaited duo performed an intriguing array of songs from the hit Broadway musical.
Grande, as Glinda, and Erivo, as Elphaba, swept the audience off into the magical land of Oz with their powerful voices and performances. The film had a good run this awards season, picking up ten Oscar nominations and bringing home two awards: Best Costume Design and Best Production Design.
Ariana Grande performs ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ at the Oscars to critical acclaim
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One of the performances of note within the medley was Grande singing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” Originally sung by Garland as Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz (1939) in the classic film, it described Dorothy’s imagination of a world beyond the flat plains of Kansas, and several artists have since covered the song over the years.
To cap off the tribute, Grande took to the stage dressed in a beautiful ruby-red gown, designed by Daniel Roseberry. The floor-length gown, which had 150,000 Siam sequins, sparkled in the light, just like the sparkle of Dorothy’s ruby slippers. She topped it off with matching heels, which had delicate bows, as a nod to the character’s footwear.
Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft thanked the Oscars for honoring her mother’s legacy
Judy Garland’s daughter, Lorna Luft, was moved to tears by the performance and responded on social media. Luft posted a heartfelt statement on Instagram, thanking Grande, Erivo, and the Academy for the lovely manner in which they honored Garland’s memory.
She also mentioned how much she and her family loved the recognition and that it helped to keep her mother’s memory going. For fans of Judy Garland, the performance brought to mind the lasting mark the actress left on Hollywood and on all the actors who were encouraged to enter the industry by seeing what she accomplished.