Cynthia Erivo brought a touch of Oz to New York City when the Wicked: For Good star opened the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. To kick of the festivities, she performed “Feeling Good,” popularized by Nina Simone in 1965. The song was originally written and composed by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse — then performed by Cy Grant — for the 1964 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint – The Smell of the Crowd.
Accompanied by a grand pianist, Erivo performed from a dark, round platform placed in the middle of the street. She wore an floor length oxblood dress with a fur coat with slanted fedora to match. After earning a rousing round of applause for her searing edition of the classic, she welcomed fans to the parade and cut the ceremonial red ribbon with a comically large pair of scissors.
“It’s a secret,” Erivo said about what she’d perform to open the Thanksgiving Day Parade during a visit to Late Night With Seth Meyers. “I hope I’m standing in one place. I’ve been moving around when I’m singing a lot lately … This will be nice to just be on the ground.”
The performance from Erivo, who notably plays Elphaba in the film releases of Jon M. Chu’s Wicked, comes just several days after Wicked: For Good hit theaters on Nov. 21. The film — the second part to last year’s Wicked — has been a box office smash since its release, and is easily the biggest movie of the year.
Lainey Wilson, Ciara, the singing voices of KPop Demon Hunters, Conan Gray, Russell Dickerson, and Busta Rhymes are also set to perform during the parade. There are also four new character balloons: Toy Story‘s Buzz Lightyear, Bandai Namco’s Pac-Man, Shrek‘s Onion Carriage, and Nintendo’s Mario.
“The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade brings families together like nothing else on television and remains a beloved tradition for millions,” said Jen Neal, an NBCUniversal executive, when the lineup was announced. “We’re proud of our longstanding partnership with Macy’s and look forward to working with them to produce a spectacular parade that we know so many people love and cherish.”
The parade is being broadcast on NBC, Telemundo, and is streaming on Peacock.
