THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY OF HOCUS POCUS/written by John Flynn & Kate Pazakis/directed by Tye Blue/musical direction by Gregory Nabours/Rockwell Table & Stage/thru November 19, 2016

Executive Producer Kate Pazakis has done it again with her latest UMPO production THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY OF HOCUS POCUS. Director Tye Blue effectively corrals his vocally gifted cast in gloriously performing re-purposed pop tunes in between delivering Pazakis and John Flynn’s cleverly written homage to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus (starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy). No worries if you haven’t seen the movie. You will be howling anyway at this Halloween tale of three witches returning from the dead 300 years later to wreck havoc in (where else?) Salem, Massachusetts. A great part of the fun’s recognizing ‘vintage’ pop songs that have been re-fitted into the HOCUS POCUS narrative.

Totally inhabiting the Bette Midler part of Winifred Sanderson (the oldest sister of the three), Marissa Jaret Winokur readily displays the reasons she won the 2003 Tony Award for Best Musical Actress (HAIRSPRAY). Winokur spouts Winifred’s lines out with the best comic timing and warbles Bette’s songs (“The Rose,” “From a Distance”) most beautifully. Another treat has Winokur embellish the film’s “I Put a Spell On You.”

Cindy Sciacca, commands in the Kathy Najimy role of Mary Sanderson, the middle sis. Only in live theatre, the unexpected interruptions or miscues can bring interesting results. Sciacca had an unexpected incident and handled it so well, she literally stopped the show until the uproarious laughter finally subsided minutes later. That’s a great pro move!

Ava Gaudet quite assuredly filled Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolos as Sarah Sanderson (played by Sarah Jessica Parker in the film). Bars of the recognizable “Sex and the City” theme would frequently play under Gaudet’s on-target Carrie-esque lines.

Tom DeTrinis appeared to be having the best of fun as Binx, the little boy turned into a cat. DeTrinis’ well-timed paw licking or tail gesturing would consistently grab your attention and your laugh reflexes.

Benjamin Schrader scored as the virginal Max Dennison as he pursued the more sexually- knowledgeable Allison (winningly played by Kelley Jakle). Their seduction scene managed to be so funny, yet so hot!

Lana McKissack shined as Dani Dennison, Max’s adventurous, fearless older sis.

Nathan Moore easily disappeared into his five different roles providing the complementary reasons for abundant bouts of laughter.

Opening night had Bruce Vilanch as Guest Narrator introducing the evening with his dependably funny (and topical) takes on the Sanderson Sisters. Peter Allen Vogt quite ably resumed the Narrator role for the rest of the evening offering witty barbs in between (and sometimes, during) sips of various liquors. Too funny!

Katherine Tokarz deserves high props for her choreography, especially her very cool re-enactment of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller,” danced by the whole cast.

Kudos to costumer Chadd McMillan for his spot-on Sanderson Sisters outfits, the Blinx cat jumpsuit; as well as, the attire of the regular humans of the townsfolk. Shout-out to BobbiePinz/Bobbie Zlotnik for the re-created Sanderson Sisters wigs.

Hard to find the perfect seat in the Rockwell main room as the action uses not only the stage, but every inch of the room (and a few willing laps).

The spot-on UMPO band (led by musical director Gregory Nabours on piano; with Blake Estrada on bass, Emily Rosenfield on guitar and Gregory Sadler on drums) rocked as always, provided the driving musicality to the UMPO HOCUS POCUS soundtrack which includes: AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell,” En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind,” Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out for a Hero,” Backstreet Boys’ “Backstreet’s Back.”

With the UMPO’s practice of double casting (and more than occasional surprise guest casting), who knows which singing and dancing talents you’ll get to see in THE UNAUTHORIZED MUSICAL PARODY OF HOCUS POCUS. But they’ll probably, most assuredly, be all great!

The post BWW Review: A Hysterical UMPO HOCUS POCUS Carries You to the Divine first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

With his Falstaffian figure, his wild hair, and his even wilder stand-up routine, BRUCE VILANCH will headline the 15th Annual North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, produced by The Carolina Theatre of Durham, NC. The outrageously outspoken gay, Jewish comedian and comedy writerâ€s performance will begin 9:30 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 13th. It will be preceded by a VIP reception and party for filmmakers and festival sponsors and donors, starting at 7:30 p.m. in the Connie Moses Ballroom. (For a complete schedule of events Aug. 12-15, click http://festivals.carolinatheatre.org/ncglff/schedule/.)

According to Bruce Vilanchâ€s official bio:

“Bruce Vilanch is a two-faced fella: Bearded, he is one of the most sought-after comedy writers in Hollywood, winner of a bunch of Emmys and noted as the ‘Hollywood Square†just to the left of Whoopi [Goldberg]. Shaved, he spent two years as Edna Turnblad, Baltimore housewife and superstar, on tour and on Broadway in the smash musical adaptation of the John Waters film HAIRSPRAY.

“Most recently in 2008, Bruce co-wrote ‘The Showgirl Must Go On†with Bette Midler, which opened at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and has since received rave reviews. And in 2006 Bruce was seen on VH1′s popular fitness and nutrition reality-series, ‘Celebrity Fit Club.†Participating in a type of extreme-makeover-body-edition, the Celebrity Fit Clubbers went through 100 days of Fit Club training. Along the way, they learned about fitness, diets, and nutrition.

“Who knows what Bruce will look like for his next performance? In addition to HAIRSPRAY, he has appeared in such legendary epics as ICE PIRATES, MAHOGANY, and THE MORNING AFTER. A frequent guest on talk shows, Bruce won his Emmys for co-writing back-to-back Oscar shows with Billy Crystal. Heâ€s written 16 Oscar-casts so far, as well as a number of Tonys, Grammys, and even Emmys, although he never got an Emmy for writing an Emmy — that would be award-show incest of the lowest order. His bizarre career was documented in the film GET BRUCE!, released by Miramax and perpetually available on Buena Vista Home Video.

“Bruceâ€s one-man show, ALMOST FAMOUS, tickled Off-Broadway audiences for three months and has made a number of appearances around the country. He is frequently mistaken for Brad Pitt.”

The Carolina Theatre presents BRUCE VILANCH at 9:30 p.m. Aug. 13 at Burning Coal Theatre in Fletcher Hall, 309 W. Morgan, St., Durham, North Carolina 27701.

TICKETS: $27-$37 ($24-$32 member and group rate).

BOX OFFICE: The Carolina Theatre: 888/241-8162 or 919/560-3030 or http://www.carolinatheatre.org/tickets/.

Ticketmaster: 800/745-3000, 919/834-4000

PRESENTER/VENUE: http://www.carolinatheatre.org/.

PARKING/DIRECTIONS: http://www.carolinatheatre.org/plan-your-visit/directions-parking.

OTHER LINKS:
Bruce Vilanch: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Vilanch (Wikipedia), http://www.jewishfederations.org/page.aspx?id=26920 (Jewish Federations of North America, Inc.), http://www.wegotbruce.com/ (fan site), http://www.lortel.org/ (Internet Off-Broadway Database), http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=4613 (Internet Broadway Database), and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0897358/ (Internet Movie Database).

OTHER LINKS:
The 15th Annual North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival: http://festivals.carolinatheatre.org/ncglff/ (official web page). For a complete schedule of NCGLFF events, click http://festivals.carolinatheatre.org/ncglff/schedule/.

The post BRUCE VILANCH WILL HEADLINE THE 15TH ANNUAL N.C. GAY & LESBIAN FILM FESTIVAL first appeared on We Got Bruce!.