Skip to main content
Jujubee, Sapphira Cristal and Ginger Minj, three alumni of the RuPaul’s Drag Race franchise, bewitched a sold-out audience at Revolution Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 1. Their Hocus Pocus parody Hokus Pokus is a cauldron of classic cover songs, sharp drag and witty comedy filled with Drag Race and Hocus Pocus homages, and proved to be the best way to officially kick off spooky season.
The drag witches emerged sniffing out the audience (an allusion to the film). They spoke directly to the crowd, asking their date and location before breaking into a live cover of Electric Light Orchestra’s “Evil Woman.” Minj (Joshua Allen Eads), the recent winner of the Drag Race All-Stars’ latest season, proved to be an exceptionally powerful vocalist in Bette Midler’s role of Winnifred Sanderson.
Jujubee (Airline Inthyrath) as Sarah Sanderson, originated by Sarah Jessica Parker, was slightly less doppelgänger-esque, but was still ditzilly entertaining. Sapphira Cristal (O’Neill Haynes) returned to Portland boasting an upstanding, uniquely operatic performance as Kathy Najimy’s Mary Sanderson, full of nimble splits and floor twerking. The trio’s voices blended together throughout pop renditions of Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Lizzo, Cher, Lizzo, and Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Their selections played to the upbeat, fun atmosphere, and each of the performer’s vocal ranges and harmonies added to the depth of the performances. Drag king Landon Cider of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula fame was the genderfucked cherry on top in his surprise cameo as Doug Jones’ character Billy Butcherson with his own vocal chops.
Hokus Pokus was less of a theatrical parody and more a collection of songs and jokes. Jujubee addressed Portland’s “war zone” condition, while dick jokes aplenty were “res-erected.” The show proved to be the perfect ’90s nostalgia fest. The queens showcased their timeless range, closing the evening with Agatha All Along’s “The Ballad of the Witches’ Road” before the encore of “I Put a Spell on You.” Though some home spectators complained that Minj’s win earlier this year was rigged, she stood on her own merits as the next Drag Race alum most likely headed for Broadway.
