Being a college freshman is confoundingly difficult in any context—and showing up to school as a green-skinned witch is only bound to make things that much harder. Such is the situation confronting Elphaba Thropp in the upcoming Wicked film, based on the Tony Award-winning musical of the same name.
The soprano-tinted take on the Land of Oz boasts an elite cast worthy of the Wicked name, with Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, starring as Elphaba and her best friend Galinda, respectively, while the likes of Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, and Ethan Slater shore up the supporting ranks.
Also among the cast is Bowen Yang of Saturday Night Live fame, who’s set to portray the character Pfannee (don’t worry, I can’t pronounce that either) in the film. For those of you unfamiliar with the wider mythology of L. Frank Baum’s world, you may be wondering what Pfannee’s deal is other than making the role call job of substitute teachers that much harder. Fear not, for this is a place of answers.
Who is Pfannee in Wicked?
Simply put, Pfannee is the posh, insufferable, Munchkinlander classmate of Elphaba and Galinda at Shiz University (a name that’s aged quite poorly since its conception back in the ’90s). Despite being a friend to the latter, Pfannee develops a grudge towards Elphaba because of her green skin (and no, it’s not subtle), gradually going out of his way to make it Elphaba’s problem.
Pfannee is also gender-swapped from the original musical; Yang’s character is a man, whereas Pfannee in the Wicked stage production is a woman. “Everyone, get ready. I’m really showing my range, I’m playing a gay guy,” Yang joked on his podcast Las Culturistas last month.
Wicked, the inaugural entry of a two-part film, will hit theaters in the United States on November 27, 2024. Wicked Part Two, meanwhile, will follow on November 26, 2025.
(featured image: Universal Pictures)
