Wicked: What You Didn't See From The Taping Of NBC's Concert Special

NBC waved its wand and gave us a magical night on Thursday, with the cast of the big-screen blockbuster "Wicked" performing songs from the movie and its upcoming sequel on the concert special "Wicked: One Wonderful Night." But not everything that happened that night made it to air.

TVLine was in the audience during the taping at L.A.'s Dolby Theatre back in September, and it stretched for more than three hours, with multiple takes of several songs and plenty of downtime between setups. Here's what we saw that you didn't see on air:

* The crowd was filled with passionate "Wicked" fans, including several social media influencers dedicated to all things Oz and fans dressed up in costume as the Wizard, the Cowardly Lion, Glinda and more. In fact, there was a whole group of "Wicked"-themed drag queens in the crowd, hailing from Hamburger Mary's in Long Beach. (You know, in case you ever want to catch the live show.)

* The special was shot using a whopping 21 cameras, including a drone camera that zipped in and out on a wire.

* The people seated in the front rows got to participate in the opening number "No One Mourns the Wicked," singing along to "Good news! She's dead!" and throwing flowers into the air on cue. Before the taping, choreographer Chris Scott came out on stage to drill the audience on how and when to toss the flowers, and after the song was taped, the production was delayed a few minutes as assistants came by to pick up all the tossed tulips.

* The stars loved interacting with the crowd: Ariana Grande blew kisses to the audience after finishing "No One Mourns the Wicked," and Jeff Goldblum lingered on stage after each appearance, soaking up the adulation.

* A four-year-old fan named Remington joined Grande for her performance of "Popular," and we got to know him a little better, thanks to an interview conducted in between numbers. When the warm-up comic asked him, "How old are you?" Remington responded: "Good." And when he was asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" he fired back immediately: "Elphaba!" (Well, duh.)

* The broadcast avoided an explicitly political moment, with cast member Marissa Bode introducing "Defying Gravity" by saying the song is "an ode to authenticity" and added that it's also about toppling "power-hungry dictators." That jab drew a strong ovation from the crowd at the taping... but NBC cut the reference to "power-hungry dictators" from the version that aired.

* There was one downside to being in the crowd that night: Though the special featured advance clips from the upcoming sequel "Wicked: For Good" and snippets of new songs from the movie, we didn't get to actually see or hear those in the theater. That includes the showstopping number where original "Wicked" stage stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth joined Grande and Erivo to sing "For Good"; that was taped separately at New York City's Gershwin Theatre, the home of "Wicked" on Broadway.

* Nobody's perfect, and various technical snafus meant that the performers needed multiple takes of several songs to get it right for the cameras, including "The Wizard and I," "Thank Goodness," "What Is This Feeling?" and "Defying Gravity." But when Cynthia Erivo is singing "Defying Gravity" in front of you two and a half times, no one is really complaining.

* Speaking of "Defying Gravity": The collective gasp in the room when Erivo first took flight on wires and soared through the theater was just incredible. We're not sure if that level of awe really came through on TV, but it was an absolute showstopper, with more than a few audience members moved to tears.

* To kill time between performances, pop music was played in the theater, with the crowd happily singing along to Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" and "Hot to Go!"... and yes, Grande's own hit "Thank U, Next." Grande even popped her head out as the song was playing and gave the crowd a smile, earning wild applause... but no, she didn't sing along.

How'd you like NBC's "Wicked" concert special? Let us know in a comment below!