Cynthia Erivo returned to the world of Wicked this weekend — but not in the way fans expected. On Saturday Night Live UK, the actor fronted a sharp, contemporary spoof that reimagined the musical as a Nigerian-set comedy and gave audiences a playful take on the relationship between the two leads.
The sketch, billed as Nigerian Wicked, flipped familiar beats from the stage show into new cultural textures. Erivo appeared as a dazzled, glamour-forward Glinda opposite Ayoade Bamgboye’s edgier Elphaba; the pair share a charged moment that breaks off just before a kiss, nodding to viewers who have long looked for more explicit queer subtext in mainstream adaptations.
What happened in the sketch
Witty visual gags and brisk dialogue drove the parody forward, cutting between moments fans of the original will recognize and punches that only land in this fresh setting. The sketch includes a makeover scene, a scene of social judgment played for laughs, and a trip to a reimagined capital called “LagOz” where the Wizard presides.
- Glinda’s makeover of Elphaba is played as a culture-clash comedy beat, with pointed jokes about class and manners.
- The duo travel to an ostentatious “Emerald, White and Emerald City” where consumer desires collide with reality: a request for a high-end handbag and an exaggerated cosmetic wish meets the Wizard’s insolvency.
- A steamy, tension-filled pause replaces a kiss; later, Bamgboye tries to hit the show’s signature climax — the iconic note from “Defying Gravity” — for comic effect.
- Hammed Animashaun portrays the Wizard, recast here as a figure of limited means rather than mystical omnipotence.
The sketch’s jokes play off contrasts — luxury versus practicality, spectacle versus budget — and use those gaps to lampoon both celebrity culture and fandom expectations. It’s brief, fast-moving and clearly aimed at an audience fluent in both the musical’s beats and contemporary pop references.
Why this matters now
There are a few reasons the parody landed differently than a routine send-up. For one, it surfaces at a time when conversations about representation and queer visibility in blockbuster adaptations remain active. By staging a near-kiss and foregrounding the chemistry between the leads, the sketch acknowledges an audience appetite that official films have not fully satisfied.
It also demonstrates how mainstream sketch comedy can rework big-ticket properties into culturally specific humor without losing sight of the originals’ emotional core. The result is both affectionate and critical: a tribute that also points to what fans want to see changed.
Beyond the satire, the episode’s guest slate included musical guest Blossoms, rounding out a show that mixed music, star power and topical comedy.
Short, punchy, and tuned to the moment, the sketch is another example of how late-night formats can respond faster — and with more playfulness — to audience conversations than the films they parody.
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Hello, I’m Declan. I share my film reviews and discoveries with you to enrich your moviegoing experience.