“Seattle’s Premier Jewish narcoleptic drag queen” Jinkx Monsoon and her best friend the “terminally delightful” BenDeLaCreme are excited for their next holiday adventure! Not sure where this year will lead them, but knowing it has to come complete with plenty of parody songs, the queens are ready for whatever the season has in store…or so they thought. On tour for their seventh year, The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show is a campy Christmas romp of pure delight.

Jinkx and DeLa have taken their show on the road for seven years now, each one a new and exciting journey with two of Seattle’s best known drag queens. This year, DeLa wants to get back to the basics: a cute little variety show full of Christmasified parodies of the most popular songs of the day. Jinkx, on the other hand, doesn’t mind having a story line for their shows, and this year she’s got the perfect idea: the Nutcracker! But DeLa is noticing that her snow globes don’t shimmer as much, and her other decorations are looking a little sad, and their trusty elf Hunky’s come down with a cold! So they set out to restore the glimmer and glitz back to their holidays, and meet new friends, and enemies, along the way.

I can’t lie, it felt completely surreal to get to see Jinkx and DeLa in real life; I love Drag Race, it’s my comfort show and I watch as many franchises as I can get my hands on. Yet there they were, singing and dancing their hearts out, right in front of me. This is truly an unforgettable experience; everything from the décor in the lobby to the pre-show Christmas tunes, the fabulous designs on stage to the overall feeling of excitement and love in the room, it’s easy to see why The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show is a tradition for so many folks.

Jinkx Monsoon brings her feisty personality and perfectly deadpan comedy to this year’s holiday spectacular. Her belting voice is a solid reminder of why she’s one of Broadway’s brightest stars right now! BenDeLaCreme wears so many hats for this production, not only starring in the show, but also directing, producing, writing (along with Jinkx), and costume design. On stage, her optimism and joy are totally infectious. Their chemistry is proof of their off-stage friendship; it shines through in each moment they’re together, along with the trust they so clearly have in one another.

I’d be remiss not to recount one of the most funny moments from the performance I saw here in Toronto (don’t worry, it’s not a spoiler). DeLa has brought out a box of decorations, the ones which she felt weren’t as merry as usual. Jinkx went over to the box to take a peek, not realizing that in doing so she had knocked the box slightly off-centre of the stool it was resting on. The box went straight to the floor with a slight crash – the snow globe was still in the box! DeLa was on the opposite side of the stage at that point, so Jinkx went around to look and very seriously said “DeLa, don’t look in the box.” The audience was howling with laughter as DeLa goes over, picks up the box, and the insides of the snow globe cascade from the corners of the box. Poor Jinkx looked rather embarrassed, but DeLa carried on as we laughed at their now necessary improvisation. They proceeded to make jokes about it for the rest of the show, and it was glorious. Their professionalism, calm, and comedy in those moments were shining proof of the amazing queens they are.

Jinkx and DeLa are joined on stage by a talented ensemble of performers each night: Chloe Albin (who’s also the choreographer), Mr. Babygirl, Jace Gonzalez, Ruby Mimosa, Derrick Paris and Scott Spraags tread the boards as all manners of holiday delights, from snowflakes to flowers, mice to the Nutcracker, they play them all! Gus Lanza plays Hunky the Elf; he’s a fantastic on-stage help for the queens while also stealing our hearts.

The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show is a true spectacular, with video projections, stunning costumes, and vibrant choreography to accompany the story. The whole production is clearly full of love; everyone looks like they’re having such a fun time and that infectious happiness is certainly spread throughout the audience. However, along with the glitz and glam is the reality that these queens and their cast are facing back home in America; the knowledge that they’re not truly safe everywhere in their own country, and it’s about to be like that for another 4 years. Like many songs we associate with the holidays, there’s a sense of sadness and difficulty towards the end of The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show, as they muse about the many battles they’ve fought and how many are likely yet to come. But their friendship overpowers any of those fears, and that message of community and lifting each other up, that’s what the holidays are truly about.

I truly hope that I’ll get to make The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show a part of my holiday traditions! After a couple of stops here in Canada, the queens are back in the US! For more information and to see when they’re coming to a city near you, visit: https://www.jinkxanddela.com/tour#tour-dates

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Cover Photo: BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon. Photo by Santiago Felipe.

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