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How Ariana Grande Impressed Wicked's Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel

The stars of the legendary Broadway show reveal what they really think about the Dangerous Woman vocalist.

By Anna Von Oehsen Oct 25, 2018 5:54 PMTags
Watch: Kristin Chenoweth & Idina Menzel Talk Ariana Grande

Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, and Arianators have something in common: They're all fans of Ariana Grande.

To celebrate the successful run of the Broadway production Wicked, NBC is airing a TV concert special, A Very Wicked Halloween: Celebrating 15 Years on Broadway, on Monday, Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. The special will be co-hosted by Chenoweth and Menzel, the original duo that starred as lead characters Glinda and Elphaba on the Gershwin Theatre stage. Grande, Pentatonix, and Adam Lambert are among the other performers.

Grande recorded her number, "The Wizard and I," last week amid weeks of personal turmoil—mourning the September death of her ex-boyfriend Mac Miller and more recently, dealing with her breakup from ex-fiancé Pete Davidson.

E! News sat down with Tony winners Chenoweth and Menzel to discuss the milestone celebration and also their thoughts on the Sweetener pop sensation.

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"She's the real deal. She sings live, she sings amazing. I'm a huge fan of hers. She's got the work ethic and the discipline and the charisma," the Frozen starlet raved.

Chenoweth echoed similar emotions, praising the musician as "one of the voices, not just of her generation, but that can sing anything. I will challenge her throughout her career."

This wasn't the first time Chenoweth and Grande have worked on the same project. In fact, the two have a close relationship with one another. "I've known her since she was nine years old, so...that's like my family. So it's a moment that I'm gonna get to watch her have, one that she's wanted for a long time, that I knew would happen. I knew would happen," asserts the Oklahoma native.

Eric Liebowitz/NBC

When asked what she had learned about the Grammy-nominated singer from their experience working together on Hairspray Live! in 2016, Chenoweth responded, "she's a complete professional, she takes her work very seriously and knows how to have fun, too."

The Emmy-winning actress joked about some of the characteristics the pair share, saying "We are very similar in a lot of ways, not just height, but yea I mean when I look at her my neck doesn't hurt, you know!...Yeah, that's my girl."

Watch the video above to hear Chenoweth and Menzel's thoughts on whether Ariana Grande has what it takes to perform 15 shows a week on the Broadway stage.

(E! And NBC are both members of the NBCUniversal family.)