For Good, or Something Bad: Ranking the songs of A Very Wicked Halloween

For Good, or Something Bad: Ranking the songs of A Very Wicked Halloween The Wicked 15th anniversary special on NBC was magical. So, of cour...

For Good, or Something Bad: Ranking the songs of A Very Wicked Halloween

The Wicked 15th anniversary special on NBC was magical. So, of course we must ruin all that sincerity with a ranking of the evening’s musical moments.

Here’s an interesting tidbit to impress all your Broadway-loving friends: Wicked didn’t win Best Musical at the 2004 Tonys.

Everyone just kind of assumes it did because of its longevity and cultural impact. But it in fact lost that coveted musical-theater award to Avenue Q, a dirty Sesame Street parody that while not nearly as visually dazzling as Wicked was innovative and hilarious. Wicked did, however, win Tonys for costume design, scenic design and Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical.

Side note: That was also the year Hugh Jackman won his Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical Tony for Boy From Oz. The 2003-04 Broadway season was just a murderer’s row of current and future Broadway/Hollywood royalty.

Anyway, that was just a fun fact to remind y’all that like Avenue Q, Wicked is still a Broadway staple 15 years after its Broadway debut. But unlike Avenue Q, its pop-culture footprint is much, much bigger. If it’s any consolation to Wicked for that Tonys loss, it’s the 2003 show that earned a glitzy anniversary special on NBC, not Avenue Q.

A Very Wicked Halloween was an hour-long celebration of Wicked‘s legacy and still-enduring fandom. It included performances by some of the show’s original stars and a few fun guests. Though I’m still salty that it left out my two favorite Wicked songs â€" “Dancing Through Life” and “No Good Deed” â€" let’s go through the evening’s festivities and rank the best Wicked numbers.

7. Pentatonix performing “What Is This Feeling?”

First and foremost, let’s make it clear that there were no “bad” performances at Wicked 15. But this one comes in last mostly because Pentatonix, known for its a cappella stylings, performed this song with the help of background music. That seems like it defeats the purpose of even having them there in the first place. They did a good job, especially recreating the song’s chorus that comes in about halfway through. But it wasn’t as aca-awesome as it could’ve been.

6. Adam Lambert and Ledisi duet on “As Long as You’re Mine”

Again, there’s nothing musically wrong with this performance. Both of them have incredible voices that harmonize well in this love song between Elphaba and Fiyero. The main issue here is that the show’s original Fiyero, Norbert Leo Butz, wasn†™t the one singing the Adam Lambert part. To be fair, he was probably too busy to attend Wicked 15 due to his current starring role in Broadway’s latest My Fair Lady adaptation. But Idina Menzel was there, and the fact this wasn’t her and Butz rekindling their on-stage chemistry was legitimately disappointing.

5. The Wicked Broadway company sings “One Short Day”

This was a fun treat for those of us who don’t live in New York City and thus don’t have access to what the most recent iteration of Wicked on Broadway looks like. It was a nice touch to have the show’s contemporary cast come out for a chance to prove that Wicked‘s on-stage legacy is in good hands. There was a genuine pleasure in being bombarded by those luscious visuals that you don’t fully appreciate until you’re actually watching them live. This was certainly the night’s most intricate production, and though “One Short Day” isn’t exactly one of the show’s signature songs, it was still an enjoyable way to spotlight what Wicked can still accomplish in 2018.

4. Idina Menzel crushes “Defying Gravity”

This is probably still Wicked‘s defining number, a going-into-intermission classic that exemplifies Elphaba’s steely determination as she accepts her new role in Oz’s hierarchy. Wicked 15 made the smart decision of not allowing anyone but Menzel to give this one a go, as very few people in the history of Broadway have the vocal chops to match the height and length of notes she hits on “Defying Gravity.” This is only as low as it is on the ranking because she sang a poppier version than the one most fans know from the show. But she can still hit those end notes like no one el se, which is all that really matters.

3. All the Glindas and Elphabas sing “For Good”

What a crescendo to an already-incredible evening. This female-empowerment anthem was already destined to be a show-stopper because Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth were reunited on it. But then the Wicked 15 production team made it so much more powerful by including a cavalcade of folks who have performed the roles of Glinda and Elphaba over the years to add their voices. It was an exceptionally meta moment, as they all sang about how their lives and careers have been “changed for good” by Wicked. Same, Wicked. Same.

2. Ariana Grande slays “The Wizard and I”

Sometimes we all need a reminder that Grande actually has one of the best pure voices in pop music. Let there be no doubt about that anymore after her rendition of “The Wizard and I,” a fun but mostly forgettable Elphaba anthem that Grande imbues with a truly special amount of unbridled joy. Honestly, it’s just really nice to see Grande look happy on stage again after all she’s been through over the last few months. It’s been a dark few days, and watching her come out the other side performing like her old self is inspirational. We could all use some of that today.

1. Kristin Chenoweth claims her crown on “Popular”

All hail Kristin Chenoweth, our musical and comedy queen. There’s an argument to be made that “Popular” is an even more ubiquitous Wicked hit than “Defying Gravity,” and that’s all because of Chenoweth’s musical acumen combined with her comedy chops. She took this opportunity to display both of those skills, taki ng every opportunity to mess with the audience as she crushed Wicked‘s tongue-in-cheek ode to social status. That fan whose phone she stole to take a selfie with is one of the luckiest people on the planet. Chenoweth won A Very Wicked Halloween, proving that she is, indeed, the most popular of all.

Next: 10 best movie musicals of the 2000s Source: Google News US Entertainment | Netizen 24 United States