How thrillifying that Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the Oscars ceremony with a performance of songs from "Wicked." At the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on Sunday, the two Oscar-nominated stars treated audiences to a musical history of Oz onstage and onscreen.

Ariana Grande belted out Somewhere Over The Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz, Cynthia Erivo followed with Home from musical The Wiz and they joined in Defying Gravity from their hit musical Wicked in a rousing start to the 97th annual Academy Awards.

The two starred alongside each other in the 2024 musical, as Grande portrayed Glinda the Good Witch and Erivo starred as Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West.

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,

There is no place like Hollywood. And there is no opening like a "Wizard of Oz"-themed medley from "Wicked" stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. Grande opened the 97th Academy Awards by singing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" from "The Wizard of Oz,

Fortunately, the Wicked star well and truly turned it out in a show-stopping look which paid homage to her character from the hit movie musical. As she made her way into the 2025

Grande and Erivo gave a great opening performance at the 2025 Oscars that highlighted some of the best moments from the Wizard of Oz franchise.

Oscars opened on a high note (literally), with a medley of songs from Wizard of Oz-based films performed by the stars of Wicked, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday (March 2) night.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande opened the 2025 Oscars with an epic performance medley of three songs across "The Wizard of Oz" universe. Grande, clad in a sparkling red gown, began the set with a powerful rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," wowing the crowd as she emerged from a cloud of smoke with a night sky background.

The musical opener kicked off with "Over the Rainbow" before segueing to "Home" from "The Wiz," as well as "Defying Gravity."

The 97th Academy Awards got off to a lively start on Sunday night as Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo combined for a beautiful music medley fit for Oz. The stars of Wicked are both nominated for their respected roles — Grande for Best Supporting Actress and Erivo for Best Actress — in the Jon M.

Ariana Grande had a "Wicked" reunion with Cynthia Erivo during her opening performance at the 2025 Oscars on Sunday night.