Wicked gets a Nollywood twist as Cynthia Erivo plays Glinda on SNL UK

Cynthia Erivo has switched witches. The London born star, who played Elphaba in both Wicked films, hosted Saturday Night Live UK on Saturday 24 October and turned up as Glinda instead, in a parody called Nigerian Wicked that has been shared widely ever since.

Styled as the trailer for a Nollywood film from the fictional Holy Ghost Productions, the sketch cast Ayoade Bamgboye, a regular in the SNL UK cast, as a green faced Elphaba, with Hammed Animashaun as the Wizard. The episode was broadcast on Sky and NOW, with Blossoms as the musical guest.

What happens in the sketch?

The parody takes key moments from the musical and runs them through the tropes of low budget Nigerian cinema, with shaky camerawork, explosive transitions and a narrator who spells everything out. Instead of trading insults in song, Glinda simply slaps her roommate. "Glinda, you slapped me!" says Elphaba. "Yes, because you are very classless," comes the reply.

From there the pair have a makeover, practise their spells and travel to LagOz to meet the Wizard, only to discover that he is broke and wearing a knockoff watch. Elphaba even attempts the big high note from Defying Gravity, and the trailer ends with the two witches leaning in for a kiss before an explosion fills the screen.

Why has it struck such a chord?

Erivo, whose parents are Nigerian, was credited on the show with her full Igbo name, and Vulture reports that she had never been billed that way before. Bamgboye, who is also from London, wrote the sketch. On Instagram she said: "I wrote the most unhinged thing I've ever imagined and Cynthia Erivo made such light work of it."

The sketch has been praised for its affectionate accuracy about Nigerian films of the early 2000s, and for its role swap: Erivo finally gets to play the other witch.

Where can you see the real witches in London?

For the full story of Elphaba and Glinda, the stage musical is flying high at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where it has played since 2006 and is now in its 20th anniversary year. The London cast is led by Emma Kingston as Elphaba and Zizi Strallen as Glinda, singing a score by Stephen Schwartz to a book by Winnie Holzman, with Defying Gravity closing Act One.

You can find dates and seats for Wicked at the Apollo Victoria Theatre, where the show runs about 2 hours 45 minutes, including one interval, and is recommended for ages 7 and above.

What else should fans read next?

Plan your trip with our ultimate guide to Wicked in the West End, or catch up on the 20th anniversary London cast.

Photo: Matt Crockett.