Jay Armstrong Johnson fulfilled a lifelong dream Sunday with an epic musical tribute to “Hocus Pocus.”
To celebrate the release of his debut album, the “Quantico” and Broadway actor took the stage of New York nightspot Feinstein’s/54 Below dressed as Winnifred Sanderson, the fearsome and fabulous witch played by Bette Midler in the cult Halloween classic.
At the start of the “not so scary” Halloween bash, the actor-singer made a bewitching entrance with “I Put a Spell on You” from the 1993 film before an enthusiastic (and heavily costumed) crowd, as seen in the above video.
The night was billed as an encore of Armstrong’s musical cabaret act, albeit with a spooky twist. In addition to tunes from “Jay Armstrong Johnson: Live at Feinstein’s/54 Below,” the 29-year-old performed an epic “Witch Medley,” a dazzling mashup of songs from “Into The Woods,” “The Little Mermaid” and “Wicked.” Another highlight was Johnson’s take on the “Annie” showstopper, “I Don’t Need Anything But You,” featuring an appearance by Broadway veteran Lindsay Mendez as Satan.
Last month, The Huffington Post got a sneak preview of “Jay Armstrong Johnson: Live at Feinstein’s/54 Below” just ahead of the album’s Sept. 16 release with “The Chicken Song,” a gospel-infused ode to fried chicken performed by Johnson and YouTube sensation Todrick Hall.
Known to audiences for his Broadway roles in “Hands on a Hardbody” and the 2014 revival of “On The Town,” Johnson told HuffPost in April that the concert and album, which explore his journey from bullied gay teen to stage and TV star, were very personal labors of love. “I’ve known that I’ve wanted to do a concert of this nature for a while, and I was just waiting for the right time,” he said.
Though Halloween will soon be over, Johnson and his team captured “I Put a Spell on You” for posterity with the video, and we’re feeling charmed by this spooky ― and sassy ― musical gem once again.
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