Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme take aim at wannabe ‘fascist dictators’ ahead of new holiday show
Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme are touring the US with their new holiday show. (Santiago Felipe)
Drag legends Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme are teaming up for the seventh edition of their holiday show. The upcoming run marks their biggest tour yet, as they take the festivities to cities in southern states for the first time.
Among other stops, The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show will head to New Orleans, Houston, Charlotte and Orlando, which the drag stars tell PinkNews is intentional.
“We don’t know what world we’re going to be in, in November [after the presidential election], and, regardless of that, it was important to us to go to these states where people are the most vulnerable and where laughter and solidarity are most needed.
“And to bring the message: ‘We see you, we care about you, we are all in this together we’re still fighting together and we’re still a unit’,” DeLa said.
“That is an important message to bring everywhere but specifically right now to the most vulnerable states in the US,” meaning the ones dealing with anti-drag bills and anti-trans legislation.
The tour is set to begin just days after the 5 November election, which the two queens aren’t taking lightly.
Jinkx said: “This year has been tumultuous in our country and worldwide for trans and queer rights. So, what I can focus on right now is trying to make sure that trans and queer people keep their rights because if they take away our rights in this election they’ll come for everyone else’s next. We’ve seen this happen before.
“We’ve got to beat the people who want to be fascist dictators, we’ve got to beat them right now, then we’ve got a lot of work to do after that.”
The duo also co-founded Drag PAC, which is the first political action committee led by drag queens.
DeLa said: “It’s really about using our platforms to motivate people, especially younger voters in the US who maybe feel alienated from our political system. They feel that working within our system to shape the future feels a little bit pointless, so we’re here to say that it’s numbers that have historically moved the queer community forward.
“That’s how we’ve gotten the rights and visibility we’ve been able to celebrate in recent years and that is how we maintain them.”
Jinkx added: “If you’re entertained by queer people, women, people of colour, support their rights, make sure they’re receiving the love you claim to have for them, in ways that really matter.”
The tour begins on 7 November in Charlotte, North Carolina. “Every year we’ve done this show has been extremely special because every year has been its own unique experience,” Jinx said. “But if you were one of the people who happened to see our first year, when the tour was smaller, that affected what the show could be.
“Our show was very much a two-drag-queen variety show because that’s what we could handle.”
The queens credit loyal fans, who have flocked to venues each year, for helping the show grow into “fully fledged theatre”.
Jinkx added: “The support from the audience allowed us to take that step forward each year. So, imagine seven years later of that cycle with the audience supporting us and allowing us to do a bigger tour for the next year.”
Over the years, the storylines have involved the duo defeating AI overlords trying to replace them, battle it out to define the meaning of Christmas and explore post-pandemic depression through a talking puppet.
With just a couple of weeks before the opening show, DeLa says: “We’re in the place we’re always at, at this point, which is the most insane time of the building process.
“We could be like ‘that’s good enough’, but we don’t settle for that. It’s exciting because we know it’s going to lead to something special and unexpected because we’re so invested in it.”
Jinkx added: “The production team and the venues strive to make sure you are in a safe space, with like-minded people. That is extremely important in places that don’t have [many] safe spaces.”
Tickets for The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show are available to buy at jinkxanddela.com and ticketmaster.com. Please note, some performances are for adults only.
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The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show tour dates
- 7-8 November – Charlotte, North Carolina, Booth Playhouse – tickets
- 10 November – Durham, NC, DPAC – tickets
- 11 November – Atlanta, Georgia – Atlanta Symphony Hall – tickets
- 13 November – Orlando, Florida, Dr Phillips Center, Steinmetz Hall – tickets
- 14 November – Clearwater, FL, Ruth Eckerd Hall – tickets
- 17 November – New Orleans, Louisiana, Orpheum Theater – tickets
- 18 November – Houston, Texas, Bayou Music Center – tickets
- 19 November – Austin, TX, Long Center – tickets
- 20 November – Dallas, TX, Majestic Theatre – tickets
- 23 November – Indianapolis, Indiana, Murat Theatre at Old National Centre – tickets
- 24 November – Cincinnati, Ohio, Taft Theatre – tickets
- 25 November – Detroit, Michigan, Masonic Cathedral Theatre – tickets
- 26 November – Toronto, Ontario, Meridian Hall – tickets
- 28 November – Montreal, Quebec, L’Olympia – tickets
- 29 November – Albany, New York, The Egg – tickets
- 30 November – Washington DC, Lincoln Theatre – tickets
- 1 December – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Academy of Music – tickets
- 2 December – Boston, Massachusetts, Wang Theatre at Boch Centre – tickets
- 5 December – Brooklyn, New York, Kings Theatre – tickets
- 6 December – Cleveland, OH, Playhouse Square – tickets
- 7 December – Louisville, Kentucky, Brown Theatre at Kentucky Performing Arts – tickets
- 8 December – Chicago, Illinois, Auditorium Theatre – tickets
- 11 December – Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pantages Theatre – tickets
- 12 December – Kansas City, Missouri, The Midland Theatre – tickets
- 13 December – Denver, Colorado, Paramount Theatre – tickets
- 15 December – Las Vegas, Nevada, The Theater at Virgin Hotels – tickets
- 16 December – Los Angeles, California, Dolby Theatre – tickets
- 17 December – San Diego, CA – Balboa Theatre – tickets
- 18-19 December – San Francisco, CA, The Warfield – tickets
- 21-24 December – Seattle, Washington, Moore Theatre – tickets
- 27 December – Spokane, WA, First Interstate Center for the Arts – tickets
- 28 December – Vancouver, British Columbia, Queen Elizabeth Theatre – tickets
- 29 December – Portland, Oregon, Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall – ticket
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