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,” as the Best Actress nominee glistened in a ruby red ensemble complete with ruby red slippers and the stage was adorned with a glistening backdrop of Los Angeles.
Cynthia Erivo then took the stage and began a moving rendition of “Home” from the 1975 Broadway musical “The Wiz.” The play is an adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” and the original production won seven Tony Awards including Best Musical and broke barriers as one of the first shows to feature an all-Black cast.