7 Moments NBC Cut From the ‘Wicked: One Wonderful Night' Special

· The Fresno Bee

Not all of the wonderful moments from the Wicked: One Wonderful Night special made it to TV.

Though the two-hour event premiered on NBC on November 6, it was filmed in front of a live studio audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood back in September. The taping actually took about four hours, according to multiple reports, meaning that there were plenty of moments cut from the night of musical performances, cast interviews and sneak peeks of the upcoming Wicked: For Good film.

Keep scrolling to see a few key moments that were cut from the Wicked: One Wonderful Night special:

A Quick Choreography Lesson

The show opened with a rendition of "No One Mourns the Wicked," with the audience participating as citizens of Oz who shouted, "Good news! She's dead!" Later in the song, they also had the chance to throw bouquets of flowers as Ariana Grande took the stage to perform as Glinda.

What viewers didn't see was choreographer Chris Scott giving the audience a quick run-through of the choreography before the performance began. According to Deadline, it took a few tries to get the flower toss right, with Scott telling the crowd, "Put your body into it!"

Marissa Bode's Defying ‘Dictators' Line

In the TV version of her introduction for "Defying Gravity," Nessarose actress Marissa Bode said, "Wicked is filled with so many incredible songs, but there is one that stands out. It's connected with so many people from all over the world. I'm talking, of course. about ‘Defying Gravity.' The song is an ode to authenticity and about believing yourself no matter what obstacles the world puts in your way."

However, in a moment that was ultimately cut from the final edit, Bode also said the song was about overcoming "power hungry dictators," which earned a long standing ovation and roaring applause from the crowd.

Audience Dance Parties

In between songs, while production set up the next scene, the audience listened to music by Chappell Roan, KPop Demon Hunters and Grande herself. According to Deadline, the crowd jumped to their feet when Roan's "Hot to Go!" played on the speakers as the emcee guided them through the song's fast-paced dance.

Later, the audience sang along to Grande's "Thank U, Next," prompting the actress to pop her head out from backstage in appreciation.

WICKED: ONE WONDERFUL NIGHT -- Pictured: Marissa Bode -- (Photo by: Griffin Nagel/NBC) NBCGriffin Nagel/NBC via Getty Images

Marissa BodeGriffin Nagel/NBC

An Accidental ‘Defying Gravity' and ‘The Wizard and I' Mashup

During one performance of Cynthia Erivo's "The Wizard and I" duet with Jeff Goldblum - yes, there was more than one, which we'll get to below - the Elphaba actress accidentally slipped into singing "Defying Gravity," according to Entertainment Weekly.

Encore, Encore

Several songs, including "The Wizard and I," "Defying Gravity" and "What Is This Feeling?," were taped more than once in order to correct mistakes, but the Wicked superfans in the audience reportedly didn't seem to mind.

Erivo and Grande even sang their cover of "Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again" a second time - but not because of any mistakes. They just didn't want the night to end.

"We don't want to go yet," Grande said before they performed the song for the second time.

WICKED: ONE WONDERFUL NIGHT -- Pictured: (l-r) Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande -- (Photo by: Griffin Nagel/NBC) NBCGriffin Nagel/NBC via Getty Images

Cynthia Erivo, Ariana GrandeGriffin Nagel/NBC

Groans From the Audience

Though attendees got to see the TV special's performances before anyone else, much of the night's cast interviews and sneak peeks were reserved for the November 6 premiere on NBC. However, the cast still had to film their introductions for these clips, much to the chagrin of the audience.

"We're sorry, you won't actually hear them tonight!" Grande said before introducing a clip of the new songs in Wicked: For Good.

"Isn't that evil? We said that!" Erivo added. "That was not our fault. We want to give you everything - we love you!"

The audience groaned whenever they didn't get to see the exclusive content being promoted, according to Deadline.

A Costume Contest

Many attendees showed up to the event in their best Wicked attire, so it was only natural that a costume contest took place between songs. One group of Glindas even did a "toss, toss, leg" competition, according to Vanity Fair.

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This story was originally published November 7, 2025 at 10:56 AM.