Cynthia Erivo is going viral for her hilarious Nollywood trailer SNL UK skit that was inspired by the movie Wicked. Fans online are praising the accurate representation of Nollywood tropes in Erivo’s Nigerian Wicked skit. Some people even claim that SNL UK is funnier than the original SNL show due to its tasteful execution of cultural jokes.
The Nigerian Wicked trailer follows Glinda (Erivo) and Elphaba (Ayoade Bamgboye) as they travel to Oz. Their goal is to meet the wizard and ask for a Birkin and a skinny Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL). Unfortunately, when they arrive in Oz, they find out the Wizard is actually broke. The skit ends with Glinda and Elphaba teasing a kiss, a nod to speculation that Erivo and Ariana were lovers during the promotion of Wicked.
The skit pays homage to Nigeria, the producer of Nollywood films, through various production choices. Fans praise the skit for using actual Nigerian actors to incorporate Nigerian accents. Some people are surprised to learn about Erivo’s Nigerian heritage because of her accent. The trailer’s end credits also list her many Nigerian names, nodding to the fact that some Nigerians have really long names.
The setting for Nigerian Wicked is ‘LagOZ’, named after Lagos, Nigeria. The Emerald City in the land of ‘LagOZ’ is also painted green, white, and green to symbolize the colors of the Nigerian flag.
The representation of early 2000s Nollywood film tropes is getting the most public attention. The production company of the Nigerian Wicked is Holy Ghost Production—a reference to dramatic Nollywood production names. The trailer’s opening also showcases a variety of unserious film titles, such as “Light Skin, Dark Heart.”
Most importantly, the Nollywood Y2K outfits, wigs, and makeup are perfectly represented as Glinda and Elphaba make their way to ‘LagOZ’. Erivo’s dramatic eyeliner style is inspired by a classic look veteran Nollywood actress Eucharia Anunobi wore in old Nollywood films.
Nigerian Wicked uses a dramatic voiceover to explain the trailer, a classic 2000s Nollywood film trope. The poor-quality CGI during the trailer’s introduction, when Glinda and Elphaba use their witch powers and when the wizard appears, is a staple of old Nollywood films. Another notable aspect of the production quality is the cameraman being visibly reflected in one of the mirror shots. This pays homage to moments when the camera equipment itself makes it into the final shot of a Nollywood scene.
Erivo’s and Bamgboye’s intentional acting choices bring the Nigerian Wicked parody to life. Glinda dramatically slaps Elphaba, then follows up with a demeaning remark, a key Nollywood trope. Another timeless trope is Glinda’s disgusted look as she stares the wizard up and down after realizing he’s broke. Elphaba mirrors this look in the trailer’s closing credits.
Overall, the entire production team behind Nigerian Wicked understood the assignment: how to execute a Nollywood parody. It was clear that actual Nigerians and people who personally understood Nollywood tropes were involved in creating the skit.
More importantly, instead of trying to appeal to a larger audience and explain the jokes, it was “if you know, you know.” This creative direction made the skit even more intimate by evoking nostalgia for anyone who grew up watching Nollywood. It is ultimately why some people prefer SNL UK over the original SNL. Instead of making other cultures the joke, diversity shines by letting those cultures control their own narrative.
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