Ariana casts a Wicked spell

ARIANA Grande glides through the New York premiere of Wicked: For Good looking as serene as her character Glinda.

- BY ALLISTER HAGGER

Stars return as Glinda the Good Witch and Elphaba the Wicked Witch in part two

It's a far cry from last week, when a fan jumped the barricade at a similar event and tried to accost Ariana, 32.

Her British costar Cynthia Erivo, 38, heroically and instinctively stepped in to shield her friend.

In the Big Apple, Ariana wowed in an elegant Schiaparelli ballgown featuring a lace-trimmed black bodice with a pale pink tulle skirt.

Cynthia, meanwhile, wore striking dark butterfly-like sunglasses to complement her black leather and velvet Balenciaga gown. Monday night's event at the Lincoln Center comes after the cast have spent the past few weeks promoting the second part of the Wicked musical's screen adaptation. It has been a promotional roller coaster, with Ariana not able to make it to Brazil due to flight issues.