Stream It or Skip It?

Even if you don’t know the songs word for word, you know about Wicked and Wicked: For Good. These movies are two decades in the making and pack so much star power, color, and musicality that it’s impossible to ignore all of the fanfare around their debut. That includes NBC’s Wicked: One Wonderful Night, which will have the fans shrieking. But is it worth your time?

The Gist: This pre-taped television special is all about putting Wicked‘s best songs on display ahead of Wicked: For Good, showcasing the undeniable talent of its Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) for the world to see. These may be songs you already know and have heard a million times before, but you may not have heard them like this.

Having come from the world of Broadway and the West End, Erivo and Grande both have vocals that deserve to be in a live show or on a stage, and Wicked: One Wonderful Night is a combination of both. Backed up with dance numbers inspired by the movie and reimagined versions that feel magical in their own way, it’s a surprising addition to what feels like a never-ending parade of Wicked. Watch as the cast — including the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum), Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), Boq (Ethan Slater), Nessa Rose (Marissa Bode), and Pfannee (Bowen Yang) — dance and sing to the classic songs from the musical and add a twist for the real fans.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Like television specials of old, Wicked: One Wonderful Night succeeds in understanding its audience and delivering on what the fans want to see. It recent years, it will remind you most of Jesus Christ Superstar Live and Hairspray Live on NBC, although it does not attempt to do a full recreation of the musical.

Our Take: We have seen so much of Wicked in the last year and a half, and while I don’t think it’s going to slow down any time soon, I’m not sure it should. If there has ever been a musical to unite the world in a time of crisis, it is this one. I can understand people wanting to sit this out, seeing as we will have the full second film in just a few weeks, but for the fans who are still interested in anything and everything green and pink, this is a solid addition to the nonstop parade.

The newly-annointed Sexiest Man Alive, Jonathan Bailey, was not able to attend so they do have to get creative from time to time. It would be impossible to have a show where Wicked‘s best songs are displayed without “Dancing Through Life,” so the live show had to get creative. We won’t spoil it but let’s just say the show relies on its other cast members to fill the role left by Bailey and it goes about as well as you think it might.

Aside from hearing the same songs you have heard before, there’s also a tease at what is ahead, including a version of “For Good,” the song so powerful it lent its name to the second half of the film. Thus far, they’ve kept Grande and Erivo’s version of the song tightly under wraps, trying to maintain at least some of the surprise headed into Wicked: For Good. This is the first time that fans will be able to get a glimpse of what the song will sound like in the movie.

All in all, it may not be the same thing as a proshot version with the movie cast but it comes pretty close at times. It’s a thrillifying new way to get your Wicked fix without rewatching the movie or streaming a bootleg copy of the stage show.

Sex and Skin: No sex or skin to be wary of. The show is very much PG and meant to be that way as it is intended to have families gathering around and singing the songs together.

Sleeper Star: Bowen Yang, who gets to show off his surprisingly solid vocals after only providing some comedic relief in the movie. He dances, acts, podcasts, and sings? What can’t this man do?

Our Call: STREAM IT. It is a nonstop rollercoaster ride of fun that keeps everything we love about the movie — and the live-stage show that inspired it — and gives a fresh spin of parts that have become a hit on the internet.

How To Watch Wicked: One Wonderful Night

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