She put a spell on the Mayo Performing Arts Center and they were hers…Kathy Najimy held the audience entranced with her personal take on the “Hocus Pocus” experience Oct. 26. For about an hour, the almost full house listened to Najimy recount tales of her co-stars – in particular Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker - on the set of the 1993 movie. The witty Najimy also delved into her days as a child “creating her own fun” making up skits and shows in her San Diego backyard, often singing her idol and future co-star Bette Midler’s songs. Then she chatted about being an up and coming actress and self-confessed “crazy, sycophant rabid fan” and “Bette Midler stalker” before she got her break with “Soapdish” in 1991. The next year, Najimy hit it big with “Sister Act” in 1992 - which she auditioned for five times.
After a laughter-filled interview session with comedian/host Tim Krompier, Najimy opened the floor to a Q & A with the audience. And “amuck amuck amuck amuck,” Najimy was off - open and genuine with her answers to all. Her age – 62. The star she learned the most from - Sally Field during their time together in “Soapdish.” Favorite special effect in “Hocus Pocus” – flying. Greatest lesson – “You have one life. Believe what you believe. Try to get what you want. If you try to please everybody you end up being mush, so just steer your own boat.” And her favorite role – Peggy from “King of the Hill,” which she voiced from 1997 to 2010.
LGBT activist, feminist and Time’s Up founding member, Najimy also had recurring roles on “Veep,” “Younger” and “Numbers,” and starred more recently as The Evil Queen on popular Disney Channel movie series “The Descendants.” Soon, she can be seen in the upcoming Disney Junior animated TV series and revamp “The Rocketeer,” as Serena Second, the mom of said Rocketeer. Mayo’s theater-goers also discovered that one of her first projects was the “Mo and Kathy Show” with longtime BFF Mo Gaffney – and that little engine that could made it to off-Broadway and two HBO specials.
But, on Saturday night, fans were in Morristown to hear from Najimy as Mary, one of the three Sanderson Sisters from “Hocus Pocus.”
“I was terrified because I was with Bette. So, it took some time of me to figure out who she was,” said Najimy of Mary. “But, as soon as I got the mouth down and we decided that she was a hound, which was really the key. There was the barking and the sniffing. But, the biggest part of the character was that I was terrified of and adored my sister (Midler’s role of Winifred Sanderson), so all I did was be her servant. I was used to this, I spent my whole life like this.”
Giggles and sighs of relief were heard when she regaled listeners with tidbits about filming beloved scenes – being a “Harlette” back-up singer with Parker while Midler took the lead for the musical number “I Put a Spell on You,” behind the scene facts – all three improved a lot - and what led up to her being offered the role in “Hocus Pocus” – it involved a singing telegram and big white bunny suit. And the audience were thrilled to learned that Najimy loved flying on the iconic vacuum from the film.
“And I’d definitely do it again,” she affirmed. “It was so much fun, I recommend it. I loved to fly. Sarah and I loved it more than Bette loved it. Sometimes they would say, ‘Crew, Lunch,’ and we would say ‘Keep us up here.’ We would stay up there and Sarah would read the New York Times. And since then, I’ve jumped out of an airplane twice.”
With rumors recently green-lighting a sequel to “Hocus Pocus,” Najimy would neither affirm nor deny the project or her potential involvement. But much to the house’s delight, did not rule it out. A “calming circle” was almost necessary when Najimy suggested she could see the three – herself, Midler and Parker – making a cameo in such a film.
It was an enlightening evening with everyone’s favorite vacuum-riding witch. Several times, Najimy extolled members of the audience – individually and as a whole – to pursue their passions, motivate themselves and follow their dreams. “If I could do it, you could do it,” Najimy assured her audience.
“Every audition you don’t get is gravy because you always get the hundredth job,” she said. “So, the fiftieth job that you don’t get, you are just 50 away from that real job. So, you have to bless all of the failures because you can’t get to the one hundredth until you go through them. You happily go through that.”
To top off the night, the event also included a showing of “Hocus Pocus” and for many, including my daughter, it was the first time seeing the classic on the big screen. That was definitely no trick. It was pure treat.
For some – shockingly - it was the first time a virgin ever lit the black flame candle for them. In its 30 years of growing cult phenomenon status, a few had confessed to never seeing the film, which was considered a flop when it first came out.
“It just caught on. It had a resurgence. None of us ever expected this – ever,” Najimy said of the ever-growing popularity of the film.
With many theater-goers dressed the part – lots of witches – big and little - the night also featured a costume contest won by the three aforementioned Sanderson sisters before Najimy’s appearance. The women stayed in character throughout the night winning themselves a “Hocus Pocus” bobblehead to share.
The evening was magical, informative, laugh-out-loud funny and for fans of the 1993 film, they were more than willing to be taken away into Najimy’s “land of enchantment.” After all, it’s just a bunch of “Hocus Pocus.”
