SNL recap: Ariana Grande, Bowen Yang laugh through Moulin Rouge parody
Ariana Grande and they Bad Co-star Bowen Yang traded the hallowed halls of Shiz University for 20th century Paris Saturday evening live sketch.
Grande, 30, was the musical guest on the Saturday, March 9 episode SNL and made cameos in multiple sketches throughout the evening. She participated in her first performance SNL cast member Yang, 33, for a Moulin Rouge parody.
“Welcome to ‘Masterpieces Music Theater.’ I’m your host Ken Burnt. It’s Oscar weekend and tonight we look back on one of the few film musicals ever nominated for best picture,” said colleague SNL cast member Mikey Day said, referring to the 2001 film starring Nicole Kidman And Ewan McGregor. “The film’s crown jewel is the ‘Elephant Love Medley,’ which strings together ten popular love songs, such as ‘All You Need is Love’ and ‘I Will Always Love You.’”
Day’s fictional PBS host added, “But what you don’t know is that the original medley was much, much longer.” Not knowing which songs they could get the rights to, they tried many more that had never been seen before. Look!”
The camera then cut to Grande (performing as Kidman’s Satine) and Yang (playing McGregor’s Christian) on a replica of the film’s now iconic Parisian rooftop set. They sang a variety of musical covers, including ‘Up Where We Belong’ by Jennifer Warnes And Joe Cocker“Do-Re-Mi” by Julie Andries“You belong with me.” Taylor SwiftTLC’s “Creep” and “Happy Birthday.”
As the duo performed fragments of the songs, they looked wistfully into each other’s eyes. At one point, Grande and Yang broke character and couldn’t contain their laughter. As they continued to sing, Grande and Yang had several more moments where they burst out laughing — especially after Yang took it on. Shania Twain‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and a second rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
Grande later joined Yang in a second sketch, titled “People Pleaser Support Group,” in which they both played characters struggling with the concept of saying no.
As the evening’s musical guest, Grande performed two songs from her new song Eternal sunshine album: “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” and “Imperfect for You.”
In between sketches and performances, Grande and Yang candidly discussed her LP, which was released on Friday, March 8.
“My interpretation of Eternal sunshine 2024 is the whole album is a dream,” Yang said in an Instagram Story video on Saturday posted by Grande. “So you go to sleep and it’s all these images and then you wake up at the end.”
Grande, who laughed during the social media footage, noted in her caption that Yang is “the love of my life.” They met on the set of the expected Bad film musical, which completed filming in January. Grande stars as Galinda/Glinda the Good Witch, while Yang takes on the role of her Shiz University classmate Pfannee.
Saturday evening live airs on NBC Saturdays at 11:30 PM ET.