Saturday Night Live is back and better than ever! After a short winter break following the new year, the cast came back to Studio 8H for an episode like no other. The person responsible for the evening's magic? First-time host and general superstar Ariana DeBose - and the rest of the stellar crew, of course. Here's what you missed.
To kick off the night, Ariana DeBose hit the stage with some tunes. That's right - SNL's opening monologue came straight off of broadway this weekend. In case you somehow missed it, DeBose plays Anita in Steven Spielberg's on-screen rendition of West Side Story. And lucky for us, she brought those musical talents with her to 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The actress honored her heritage before breaking out into song with none other than Kate McKinnon. "It is great to be here representing not only the Latino community as an Afro-Latina but also the Broadway community," Ariana gushed. "Obviously, Broadway has been through a lot these last past couple of years ... but we are a community that perseveres. I believe Broadway changes lives, and hey, it changed mine."
While we can't say for certain that Broadway has changed our lives, seeing Kate and Ariana's duo certainly did. The pair sang two tunes from West Side Story, Tonight and I Feel Pretty, to a delighted audience. Other highlights of the night included DeBose performing as a clueless fan that got dragged into an NBA game during her girl's night. Check out the hilarious performance below.
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The actress also took on a parody role of Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music where she teaches the kids a lesson on vocabulary. But it sure was different from the original hit film, as she sang, "Far, like fart without a 't.'" The first-time host was accompanied for the night by musical guest Bleachers, also known as Jack Antonoff, who rocked Studio 8H with some of his pop hits. Stay tuned for more updates on who'll be rocking the Saturday Night Live stage next.
