<\/p>\n
What happens when a bunch of today\u2019s biggest drag stars start getting witchy with each other? Turns out, a whole lotta fun.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m using the word \u201cwitchy\u201d literally, by the way, not as a substitute for a\u00a0 similar-sounding \u201cb\u201d word we don\u2019t print in a family newspaper \u2014 although there\u2019s a smattering of that, too. We are talking about drag queens, after all.<\/p>\n
But what makes \u201cHokus Pokus Live,\u201d<\/a> the new touring show fronted by Orlando\u2019s Ginger Minj, work so well is the fact that these queens seem to really enjoy each other\u2019s company. If they\u2019re faking that, more power to them. Their sisterhood is fierce and fabulous.<\/p>\n Ginger was greeted with particular enthusiasm on Thursday night at Orlando\u2019s Plaza Live<\/a> by the hometown crowd, some of whom surely know Joshua Eads, the man behind the Minj<\/a> so to speak. Prolonged applause greeted a riff on her recent win and erupted again when a castmate, in character, proclaimed her a \u201cwinner.\u201d<\/p>\n Fresh off Ginger Minj\u2019s big win, creator Joshua Eads feels \u2018unstoppable\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n Written and directed by Ginger, \u201cHokus Pokus Live\u201d is a parody, spinoff, tribute and love letter to \u201cHocus Pocus,\u201d the comic 1993 Disney Halloween film about the child-eating Sanderson Sisters that has become a cult favorite.<\/p>\n Fresh off her win on the latest season of \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race All Stars,\u201d Ginger portrays Winifred, the bossy leader of the trio of witches, emulating Bette Midler, who played the role in the film. Sapphira Crist\u00e1l, runner-up on \u201cDrag Race\u201d season 16, takes on the loopy sister portrayed on film by Kathy Najimy. And Jujubee, who like Ginger has appeared in four seasons of the \u201cDrag Race\u201d universe, takes on Sarah Jessica Parker\u2019s role as the most dimwitted of the three.<\/p>\n Drag king Landon Cider rounds out the cast as Billy, Winifred\u2019s dead ex-boyfriend. Cider adds plot-serving support with good humor, but the spotlight really is on the three sisters.<\/p>\n Their chemistry and affection is contagious. But another key part to the success of \u201cHokus Pokus Live\u201d is how all three manage to channel their own personalities and the personalities of the movie characters simultaneously. Their interplay is a delight to watch.<\/p>\n Ginger\u2019s script is fast and furious with gags and knowing pop-culture nods. I heard one woman, as she exited, saying \u201cThere were so many references, I couldn\u2019t catch them all.\u201d She\u2019s not wrong; a lot of the fun comes from references to the \u201cDrag Race\u201d world, which fans will (and did) eat up. Unfortunately, the theatergoer \u2014 like myself \u2014 might also have missed moments because of the low-level sound problems at Plaza Live throughout the night. Microphones going in and out, or the volume seemingly set too low, that sort of thing.<\/p>\n The performers, especially Sapphira, who suffered the most, handled it like the pros they are. Thursday night\u2019s show was the first performance of a national tour that has sold so well, more cities and dates have been added. (There are two more Florida stops: Oct. 18 in Tampa, Oct. 19 in Fort Lauderdale; go to hokuspokuslive.com<\/a> for more information.)<\/p>\n Some of the show, surprisingly, plays like old Vaudeville sketches; at one point, we were almost in an Abbott & Costello \u201cWho\u2019s on First\u201d moment. And I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s due to Ginger\u2019s proximity to Walt Disney World, but there was even an old Tiki Room joke thrown in for good measure. More surprisingly, that all works right alongside the contemporary quips \u2014 because these gals understand timing.<\/p>\n They also know how much horseplay is enough \u2014 they cracked each other up, along with the audience, a couple of times but were quick to get back to Ginger\u2019s script. And why wouldn\u2019t they? There\u2019s plenty of comedy there in the meta-references to theater, the shout-outs to \u201cDrag Race,\u201d the self-awareness that they are in drag. It\u2019s smart stuff.<\/p>\n Yes, there are a few adult jokes (the show is for ages 18 and up), but they are well-placed, well-timed, genuinely funny and not overdone so they retain their bite. And how could they resist at least one risque reference when these are characters who literally want to suck the life out of people?<\/p>\n The parody songs are clever, too \u2014 ranging from old-school Britney Spears to today\u2019s Chappell Roan. I\u2019m too big a square to get all the musical references, but I can still appreciate a good old-fashioned Cher sing-along.<\/p>\n As Ginger proclaimed: \u201cIt\u2019s a real Halloween hootenanny.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow me at facebook.com\/matthew.j.palm<\/a> or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com<\/a>. Find more entertainment news and reviews at\u00a0orlandosentinel.com\/entertainment\u00a0or sign up to receive our\u00a0weekly\u00a0emailed Entertainment newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What happens when a bunch of today\u2019s biggest drag stars start getting witchy with each other? Turns out, a whole lotta fun. I\u2019m using the word \u201cwitchy\u201d literally, by the way, not as a substitute for a\u00a0 similar-sounding \u201cb\u201d word we don\u2019t print in a family newspaper \u2014 although there\u2019s a smattering of that, too. 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