Turns out, the big screen’s Elphaba is that girl. A new Saturday Night Live UK sketch has Cynthia Erivo playing Glinda in a low-budget “Nollywood” version of Wicked dubbed Nigerian Wicked.
For the spoof, Erivo donned a blond wing and a pink tracksuit to play Shiz University’s most popular witch, while SNL UK cast member Ayoade Bamgboye dabbed on green face paint to portray Elphaba.
And whether she’s slapping Elphaba for being classless or just sneering at her roommate’s fondness for eggs, Erivo’s Glinda is one mean witch. Nevertheless, the two characters get close to acting on their sexual chemistry, their quivering lips nearly touching.
Because all is not well in the land of “LagOz,” Glinda and Elphaba have to team up to travel to the Emerald, White, and Emerald City (a play on the Nigerian flag colors). But they have personal reasons to visit the Wizard — Glinda wants a Birkin bag, while Elphaba wants a “skinny BBL” that defies gravity.
Saturday Night Live UK/YouTube
As it turns out, the Wizard, played by SNL UK star Hammed Animashaun, is broke. His Rolex watch, for example, is actually a “No-Lex.”
Erivo filmed the spoof ahead of hosting SNL UK’s October 24 episode, which also included a “Weekend Update” segment that skewered recent headlines about Thomas Markle and the prospective Glee reboot.
And Erivo isn’t even the first Wicked star to appear on the British sketch-comedy show: Jeff Goldblum, who played the Wizard in the Broadway musical’s two-part film adaptation, hosted SNL UK’s Season 2 premiere last month.
With Erivo’s episode, SNL UK has closed out the first half of its 12-episode Season 2 order; the second half will air in early 2027, according to LateNighter.
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