DRAG STAR GINGER MINJ HEADLINES “HOKUS POKUS LIVE!” FOR TWO SHOWS AT THE GREEN ROOM 42 IN NEW YORK FOR HALLOWEEN
Ginger Minj – the beloved drag star from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 7 and top 3 for “All Stars” Season 6 – is coming back to New York for a Halloween treat! She’s bringing her sisters Gidget Galore and Aria Hard for “Hokus Pokus Live!,” celebrating the beloved ‘90s movie. This all-live, singing parody asks the question: What would happen if the Sanderson Sisters are brought back to life in 2024? Before the show comes to midtown’s the Green Room 42 for two shows on October 22 and 23, Ginger answered some questions just for Get Out…
INTERVIEW
YOU’RE COMING BACK TO THE GREEN ROOM 42 WITH “HOKUS POKUS” AS PART OF THE NATIONAL TOUR. HOW DID THE SHOW COME TO BE?
Listen, I’ve been imagining myself in that world since 1993! I was obsessed with the movie growing up, particularly these three women, and it was a dream come true getting to work hand in hand with them on the sequel. This particular show came about when Bette Midler came up to me between takes on our last day and said, “I like the way you do me! Do something with that. A stage show or something.” So we did!
WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR COLLABORATION WITH GIDGET GALORE AND ARIA HARD?
Aria is my drag daughter, having been adopted into the Minj family a few years back when we worked together on a Chicago production of La Cage aux Folles. She’s a fun, funny, driven entertainer who can sing, dance, act and be a fool while still looking so gorgeous. Gidget Galore and I started drag together in Orlando, and 22 years later, we’re still best friends. There’s something about that deep shared history that is really fun to see as an audience member. She also makes all of our incredible costumes!
DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL MEMORIES OF WORKING ON THE MOVIE “HOCUS POCUS 2”?
Many, and they’re all crazy! But my favorite would have to be Kornbread and I escaping our handlers and exploring every inch of the set. It was massive and really put you “right there” … then, towards the end of our time there, we were walking back towards the set and a voice booms “1, 2, 3, GO!” and the witches went flying right over our heads. We just held each other’s hands and grinned like fools. It was overwhelming.
WHAT IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF BEING ON “RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE” THAT MIGHT SURPRISE YOUR FANS?
I don’t think the fans are surprised by much anymore. Hahaha! Having done several seasons over the past 10 years, the one consistent thing that fans can’t seem to really figure out is the way time works on the show. It’s a vacuum where every day feels like you’ve just started and you’ve also been there your entire life. It’s like casinos in Vegas: there are no clocks and the sunlight is artificial!
YOU RECENTLY RELEASED YOUR FIRST BOOK, “SOUTHERN FRIED SASS.” IS A FOLLOW-UP ON THE WAY?
Not any time soon. Writing that book was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It was two and a half years of deep soul searching and digging up my past, both good and bad, to share a side of myself with the world that I hadn’t had the chance to before. It was traumatic, freeing, chaotic and cathartic and has been received so beautifully by the fans. Like Winnie Sanderson, I’ll hold on to my book for a long time, it’s really precious to me. But she will remain an only child for the foreseeable future!
