A ‘Hocus Pocus’ Broadway Musical Is Officially Underway

Mindy Kaling Michael R. Jackson is, in a word, dazzling. His Broadway musical, “A Strange Loop,” is a breakthrough masterpiece whose plot I won’t describe here because it’s so inventive that my summary wouldn’t do it justice. But what I can say is that it’s a musical about a writer … well, trying to write. The star of “A Strange Loop” is Usher, a “young overweight-to-obese homosexual and/ or gay and/or queer, cisgender male writer,” as he says in his opening song, working to find his way in the world, deciphering the many destructive (and often extremely funny) voices in his head. Watching Michael’s Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning musical, I felt like someone had shone a light on the creative process of writing in a way it had never been examined before. For years, many neurotic writers have been able to see themselves in the protagonists of Woody Allen movies or Charlie Kaufman’s “Adaptation” or, hell, even “The Shining.” I never completely got it. But I actually identify with Usher, a funny, tortured, pop-culture-fluent brown man trying to impress his parents, discover his voice, vanquish his shame and have sex occasionally. Michael managed to capture all the moments of artistic self-doubt and relentless self-examination and somehow make it joyful, funny and relatable.

Is it a Latino thing or is your family as dramatic as ours? Mia and Mario went with Perez to each go buy their sister a gift for her 5th. We always love seeing what they get and why. It was… a process. Especially for one! And then we get home and… children have fragile egos! Watch!

Frank Rizzo Take two, and not a moment too soon. Lea Michele steps into one of Broadway’s most iconic roles, which in her mind — or at least the mind of Rachel Berry, the character she played in TV’s “Glee” — she was destined to play. And dammit, she’s right. Not that suddenly this otherwise uninspired and underproduced revival of “Funny Girl” is transformed into a revelatory classic. Instead Michele gives it what the revival previously lacked: charisma, astonishing vocals and assuredness — not to mention a killer fan base. It also had a backstage narrative that added to the drama following original star Beanie Feldstein’s departure, culminating in a casting coup that many felt should have been Michele’s in the first place.

While eagle-eyed fans may have noticed Kathy Najimy’s Hocus Pocus 2 smile looked different in the Disney+ sequel, the actress had a good reason for switching things up.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor It’s been 30 years since the first “Hocus Pocus,” which ended with the Sanderson sisters Winnie (Bette Midler), Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) and Mary (Kathy Najimy) disintegrating. The Sanderson sisters are back in “Hocus Pocus 2,” now streaming on Disney+. After a brief backstory intro, Salem teen Becca (Whitney Peak) is fooled into lighting the black flame candle by Gilbert (Sam Richardson), the owner of the magic shop, formerly the Sanderson sisters’ home. And thus, the sisters are resurrected. Costume designer Sal Perez resurrected the trio’s outfits and then went even farther to breathe new life into the beloved property.

Hocus Pocus 2 just premiered this week and fans are already talking about a lot of things in the movie – but one of the most noticeable things is that Mary’s crooked smile is backwards!

The Sanderson sisters ride again! Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy reprise their roles as Winnie, Sarah and Mary in Hocus Pocus 2 — and the new movie is packed with references to the original.

Note: This article contains massive spoilers for “Hocus Pocus 2” on Disney+. Read on at your own riskLock up your children Salem, the Sanderson Sisters are back, again! But once more, the witchy trio only returns for one night in “Hocus Pocus 2” — or so it seems.

“Hocus Pocus 2,” now streaming exclusively on Disney+. Returning to reprise their original roles include Bette Midler as Winifred Sanderson, Sarah Jessica Parker as Sarah Sanderson, Kathy Najimy as Mary Sanderson and Doug Jones as William “Billy Butcherson.” Sadly, as you’ll find out from the following recap, Thackery Binx won’t be returning for the spooky sequel.

, the long-awaited sequel to the 1993 Halloween classic.Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker reprise their roles as Winnifred, Mary and Sarah Sanderson, respectively, in the new film, which finds the trio resurrected once again by a group of teen friends — Becca (Whitney Peak), Cassie (Lilia Buckingham), and Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) — who light a new version of the infamous Black Flame Candle.However, when they return to wreak havoc on Salem — this time seeking revenge on the town's mayor, a descendant of the puritanical reverend who originally exiled them (both played by Tony Hale) — they find that a few things have changed.For one, the Sanderson Witch Museum has been reopened as a magic shop, run by a man named Gilbert (Sam Richardson), who claims to have witnessed the witches' first night of mayhem back in the '90s. But that's far from the only callback to the original.

during the Broadway Podcast Network’s “The Art of Kindness” podcast on Thursday.“This started before COVID, but now it seems to be back on — and that is that they are building a Broadway version of ‘Hocus Pocus,’ ” said Kirschner.“I just want to pinch myself, and I’m just afraid that I’m going to be 9 years old and on a Little League field again … But it’s just so wonderful just to stand back and watch all of this.”The 67-year-old producer and “Hocus Pocus” creator made the announcement a day before the highly-anticipated sequel is set to fly on Disney+.“It’s not just me. It’s so many people that brought ‘Hocus Pocus’ [to life] — from [director] Kenny Ortega and Mick Garris’ script and John Debney’s score and Bill Sandell’s production design, and now a whole new generation are working on it,” Kirschner said.“Hocus Pocus” and its sequel star Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the hilarious-yet-sinister Sanderson sisters — who are hellbent on terrorizing modern-day Salem, Massachusetts.

she was “dismayed” she couldn’t reprise her role as Dani Dennison in, Thora Birch spoke with ET on the red carpet at the Power of Women event, where she explained that there were attempts made to have her return for the sequel and shared whether she’s planning to watch.Nearly 30 years after was released, the new film reunites Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as the Sanderson sisters, a trio of witches who are resurrected. In the original, Birch was one of the kids caught up in all the chaos and mayhem that followed their return to Salem, Massachusetts. Although Birch wasn’t included in the sequel, she says “there were three options we had for how to bring Dani back, all of which I was excited by.” However, “by the time they got around to filming, I was already on something else,” she continues, explaining that she was working on another project. As she explained earlier in the year, while on the set of her new Lifetime movie, , “I was working on something else when they were filming,” she said at the time, offering that “otherwise I was definitely going to be there on set with the girls.” That said, there seems to be no ill will, with Birch revealing that she plans to stream the new film.

Hocus Pocus casting its spell on Broadway? The Sanderson Sisters might be flying their brooms a bit closer to the stage after all.

At the very least, the Mouse House avoids the laziest possible mistake with “Hocus Pocus 2.” This sequel to the childhood and camp classic, which arrives nearly three decades after the original bewitched audiences, does not amount to just a slightly updated remake of the first film for a cynical cash grab. But all that really means is opening up director Anne Fletcher and screenwriter Jen D’Angelo to make a different set of mistakes.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic What strange sorcery is this that “Hocus Pocus” — a so-so comedy turned campy cult favorite starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as absolutely fabulous Salem witch sisters — should be getting a sequel nearly three decades after its 1993 release? At the time, Variety speculated that, were it not for the film’s three stars, “‘Hocus Pocus’ wouldn’t seem out of place on the Disney Channel, and perhaps belongs there.” (Its director, Kenny Ortega, would go on to helm the “High School Musical” franchise for the cabler.) In a sense, that’s what’s happened with this follow-up, aimed to breathe some life into the graveyard that is Disney+. The sequel’s existence owes less to popular demand (the original earned a respectable $39.3 million stateside and went on to become a Halloween season staple) than the realization that the film had tapped into preteens’ fascination with witchcraft before Harry Potter came along. It can be no coincidence that the new feature lifts so much of its look and feel from that franchise — with eye of newt, a dead man’s head and some aspects of “The Craft” tossed in for good measure. In “Hocus Pocus 2,” the three teens called upon to save Salem from the Sanderson sisters’ return are themselves budding witches, which means the movie is less about scaring kids away from magic than indulging their post-Potter junior wizarding fantasies.

Disney’s favorite witches are back! Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Kathy Najimy stepped out in New York City to celebrate the premiere of Hocus Pocus 2 on Tuesday, September 27.