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Marissa Bode<\/a> wasn\u2019t naming any real-life names when she mentioned a \u201cpower-hungry dictator\u201d during an appearance in the Wicked: One Wonderful Night<\/a><\/em> special, but NBC<\/a> curtailed her speech anyway.<\/p>\n Near the end of the two-hour broadcast, Bode, who plays Nessarose in the 2024 film Wicked<\/a><\/em> and its soon-to-be-released sequel<\/a>, introduces costar Cynthia Erivo<\/a>\u2019s performance of \u201cDefying Gravity.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWicked<\/em> is filled with so many incredible songs, but there is one that stands out. It\u2019s connected with so many people from all over the world. I\u2019m talking, of course, about \u2018Defying Gravity,\u2019\u201d Bode said in the version of the special that aired on NBC and currently streams on Peacock<\/a>. \u201cThe song is an ode to authenticity and about believing yourself, no matter what obstacles the world puts in your way. Performing \u2018Defying Gravity,\u2019 please welcome the incredible Cynthia Erivo.\u201d<\/p>\n But Entertainment Weekly<\/a> reports Bode\u2019s full introduction, heard by the audience at the live September 24 taping at Los Angeles\u2019 Dolby Theatre, also described \u201cDefying Gravity\u201d as an ode to resisting a \u201cpower-hungry dictator.\u201d<\/p>\n In the context of the film, Bode was likely referring to Jeff Goldblum<\/a>\u2019s Wizard of Oz as that dictator, but her comments also carry real-world insinuations that apparently weren\u2019t lost on the live audience. Deadline<\/a> corroborates EW\u2019s account of Bode\u2019s speech, saying the mention defying a dictator elicited thunderous applause and a standing ovation from the crowd, leading to a significant pause in the production.<\/p>\n <\/a> ‘Wicked: For Good’ New Teaser Revealed<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Related<\/p>\n \u201cClearly the NBCUniversal team didn\u2019t want to ruffle any feathers, because it\u2019s essentially entirely cut out of the special,\u201d Deadline added.<\/p>\n There were other untelevised moments from the special, Deadline reports. For example, Wicked<\/em>\u00a0choreographer Chris Scott taught the live audience how to wave their bouquets of flowers for Ariana Grande<\/a>\u2019s performance of \u201cNo One Mourns the Wicked.\u201d Grande and Erivo sang their \u201cGet Happy\/Happy Days Are Here Again\u201d duet a second time, just for fun. And Erivo actually belted out \u201cDefying Gravity\u201d three times so that NBC had plenty of footage of her singing both on stage and on a wire as she flew around the proscenium.<\/p>\n‘Wicked: For Good’ New Teaser Revealed<\/a><\/h3>\n