Interview: Ginger Minj and the Coming Drag Invasion of Broadway

She’s done it. After three unsuccessful stints on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Ginger Minj was crowned the winner of the 10th season of All Stars, the spinoff that invites previous contestants to take another shot at drag glory.

But the glamour toad is not resting on her laurels. This fall, she joins fellow Drag Race alums Jujubee and Sapphira Cristál on a national tour of Hokus Pokus Live!, which is set to play 22 cities including Atlanta, Iowa City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City, where it will perform at the Town Hall—tantalizingly close to Broadway.

I spoke with Minj about the show and her ultimate plans to take the theater by storm.

Congratulations on your win. Fourth time’s a charm.

Thank you. It means so much more all these years later. I got into drag because of theater. But I never really trusted that side of it because, you know, you watch the show and you see that no one takes the theater girls—other than Jinkx Monsoon—seriously. But this time, I went back in and said, theater is my world, I love it, and I’m just gonna do that.

I actually think Jinkx is in the vanguard of a drag invasion of the mainstream theater in the coming decade. RuPaul has opened a side door to fame for performers who may not have been properly considered in the pipeline as it exists today.

Absolutely. Jinkx would call me every time an episode would air and say, “Hang in there, sister. Pretty soon we’re going to be onstage together.”  Our goal was to do Broadway together, and I think we’re getting closer as time goes by.

Do you have a Broadway dream role?

I want to be Madam Morrible in Wicked so bad. But my dream role is to play Albin in La Cage on Broadway. I’ve played the role several times before, and I get that character so much. I also think, sadly, the story is even more relevant than it was 42 years ago when it debuted.

You’re not making your Broadway debut yet, but you will be at the Town Hall on September 10 with Hokus Pokus Live! Do you remember the first time you saw the film? And did it make you gay?

We went to the dollar movie theater on a Monday in the middle of July. Once “I Put a Spell on You” happened, I was obsessed. The theater was within walking distance of our house, and I used to walk down there every other day, pay my dollar and go in, and just watch it over and over. There’s something so incredible about watching three very powerful women play three very powerful witches who the world laughs at, but they are so into their own power that they own it and don’t care. I don’t know that it turned me gay, but it definitely turned me into a diva. I wanted to be Bette Midler.

You got to be her and meet her on Hocus Pocus 2. What was that like?

Kahmora Hall, Kornbread, and myself were in our trailer getting made-up for the first day on set, and we were nervous. I had met Kathy Najimy when I did Dumplin’, so I already knew I had a good rapport with her, but there was something about being dressed as Bette Midler in front of Bette Midler that put me on edge. The three of us were trying to figure out what we would say to break the ice, and before we even got the chance to say anything, Bette looked at me and said, “Ohh, you were robbed!” This was right after All Stars 6. I don’t think she’s ever watched an episode of Drag Race in her life, to be honest. But all three of them put us at ease immediately and made us feel like colleagues instead of just day players. Bette Midler also taught me that I need to be mindful of the details when it comes to what I put out as an artist, because that’s the product that will be associated with my name.

Well, you’re doing that with Hokus Pokus Live! You’ve written the show, you’re starring, and you’re also directing. How do you juggle all those roles?

Drag Race is such a boot camp. You get your script in the morning, you’re rehearsing it by the afternoon, and then you’re performing it that night. They film every stage of the rehearsal and then we watch as a group and scrutinize. That was so helpful to me, and that’s how I have approached directing a show like this. I film, I dissect, and then I go back in and fix things. This year I have my writing partner, Tyler Scott, as a second set of eyes. That has been hugely helpful.

Obviously, we must talk about Drag Race. Yes, you’re a talented actor, singer, comedian, and seamstress—but I was most impressed by your restraint. You gave a master class in how not to feed the trolls, especially considering Mistress’s aggressive provocations. Is that something that took you a while to learn?

If you go back and you watch my first season, I was taking the bait. I hadn’t been diagnosed as autistic at that point, so I was taking everything at face value and then throwing it back out. The Internet response to the show also taught me a lot. I realized that I’m much happier and a lot more successful if I stay focused on what’s in front of me and what I’m trying to achieve instead of worrying about how everybody else feels about me. So it was really interesting to see the season play back and see Mistress coming for me so hard and then really kind of spiraling out because of my success.

Why did it work this time?

Right before All Stars 10 I was sick. I had pneumonia and I was always on the move for work. I would literally land, go into the hospital, get treatment, go do a show, go back to the hospital, get on the plane, and go to the next place. My weight had never been higher. I was prediabetic. My blood pressure was through the roof. I thought I was going to die. When I got the phone call to come back for All Stars, it gave me that kick in the ass to make myself better, which is why I got my whole life under control. I’ve lost 170 lbs. I’m no longer prediabetic. My blood pressure is great. I’m healthier than I’ve ever been in my adult life. And so I made myself the promise going into All Stars that I would just take every day as it came to me, do my best, and have a good time. And I genuinely think that’s why I won. It was “Defying Gravity”: I decided to trust my instincts, close my eyes, and leap. It’s always the witches with musical numbers that get into my soul and give me the life lessons to move forward.