Support Your Local Queens on the Big Stage!

Beloved by millions, it seems nothing is more synonymous with Halloween these days than the 1993 Cult Classic film, Hocus Pocus. But how is this film still so popular after three decades? The best person to ask is South Florida’s own Drag Impresario, Nicole Halliwell.

For the last 11 years, Halliwell has built and perfected the original and longest running Hocus Pocus tribute show on the globe, gaining acknowledgement and accolades from the film’s stars, national publications like Rolling Stone Magazine, and significant mentions in the pages of the upcoming official Disney Book Hocus Pocus : An Oral History, which cites Drag Entertainers (and Halliwell’s show) as significant players in it’s monumental re-emergence, including inspiring Mickey’s Orlando park to produce a live seasonal stage show of their own.

Last September, the Mouse even extended a paw to Nicole, who portrays Winifred, and her “sisters” (local performers Calypso Monroe, Nicky Monet) to appear alongside Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker on the red carpet in New York City for the premiere of Hocus Pocus 2, garnering national attention.

bette midler — Photo Courtesy of Jamie McCarthy Getty Images

We sat down with Nicole to discuss her love for the film, and why 11 years later, her show “It’s Just A Bunch of Hocus Pocus, A Drag Tribute”, opening October 27, 2023, at The Center in Coral Springs, is as integral to Florida’s Halloween season as “Santa’s Enchanted Forest” is to Christmas.

OUTCLIQUE : It’s October! Are you ready?

NICOLE HALLIWELL : Honey, after this year, I feel like a paper straw in an ice coffee – but I’m ready! Flip the switch and open the curtains!

OCQ : What manifested the idea for a tribute show based on the film?

NH : I have a colossal love for Bette and her character, Winifred. She’s delightfully unhinged – like me! When I began this project, Hocus Pocus was just “that movie” playing obscurely on TV during October in the 2010s. I had always dreamed of doing some type of tribute, so I built a small bar show with friends, ran an ad in the local gay mag, and 500 people showed up. We knew then and there, this was something people wanted! Now it’s a yearly tradition!

OCQ : What makes this so different from the typical drag show?

NH : Detailed sets, replica costumes and props, uncanny lookalikes — it’s a full theater experience! We truly bring the film to life.

OCQ : What can we expect to see?

NH : All of your favorite movie moments, unfolding before you on stage! Laugh, quote, and sing along with iconic scenes and characters! We add something new every year. PLUS – our delightfully evil pre-show ‘Wicked Villains’, starring Ursula, Cruella, Maleficent, and more! It’s a joyous departure from the usual, and the community is always impressed with what we can do beyond the bar stages!

OCQ : Where can our readers get tickets?

NH : Visit www.hocuspocuslive.net to grab your seats. Readers can use the code BOOK to save $5 off each regular price ticket! Now more than ever – support your local queens! See you at the show!

Learn more about Nicole Halliwell, her company Drag Events Unlimited, and the catalog of events, shows, and brunches she produces across the country at www.nicolehalliwell.com / www.dragevents.biz