The Queens of Christmas
This year’s version of the Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show may be my favorite yet.
We saw their recent Buffalo-area production at the majestic, 1920s-era Riviera Theater. The performance was sold out, and based on the audience’s reaction, these two drag all-stars are at the top of their game. We had a great deal of fun during the roughly two-hour show (there’s a short intermission halfway through) and found ourselves laughing out loud much of the evening.
See it in person on tour or livestreaming Tuesday, November 29. (details below)
We saw their recent Buffalo-area production at the majestic, 1920s-era Riviera Theater. The performance was sold out, and based on the audience’s reaction, these two drag all-stars are at the top of their game. We had a great deal of fun during the roughly two-hour show (there’s a short intermission halfway through) and found ourselves laughing out loud much of the evening.
Using the Ghost of Christmas Past, they travel back to various former iterations of the Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show, including purported shows in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. This gives the ladies plenty of opportunities to poke fun at different cultural moments in the various decades, not to mention tease the audience with different songs and news events.
Pictured Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme with ghost of Christmas past
We even learn they were formerly a trio, until the third member, Ding Dong, was tragically lost at sea. And they’re certainly not above making fun of themselves. There are some great song parodies that include one about drag queens using holiday jargon to make up — you guessed it — song parodies.
Pictured Jinkx Monsoon with (clockwise) Ruby Mimosa, Elby Brosch, Jim Kent, and Chloe Albin
The ladies incorporate some popular old bits into this year’s show, but there’s plenty of new, fresh content here. There are a fair bit of drug and alcohol jokes (in case that’s a sensitive topic), including a pretty funny recurring one about cocaine through the decades.
Pictured Mr. Babygirl, Shane Donohue, Jinkx Monsoon, Chloe Albin, Elby Brosch, BenDeLaCreme, and Ruby Mimosa
And this is not a show for the religiously sensitive (not that you’d expect a lot of devout attendees at a drag performance), with plenty of skewering of religious traditions and some hysterical and biting commentary on Jesus’ birth.
Pictured Jinkx Monsoon with (clockwise) Ruby Mimosa, Elby Brosch, Jim Kent, and Chloe Albin
There are multiple costume changes, a couple of fun reveals, hot elves, plenty of singing and dancing, and some brilliant pre-recorded video bits when the ladies are offstage.
Pictured BenDeLaCreme
From the hysterical Star Wars scrolling-text intro to the touching ballad, “Looking at the Lights” to the rousing “Everyone is traumatized by Christmas” song to close things out, this is a wonderful excuse to get out around the holidays and support live drag — and forget about everything frightful for a few hours. As DeLa laughingly says at the show’s beginning, “This is the time of the year when we ignore the inequities of the world.”
Pictured Mr. Babygirl and Jinkx Monsoon
Many of the tour dates are selling out, but there’s now an online livestream option, on Tuesday, November 29th, at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time; the livestream tickets are $15 and available online at https://boxoffice.mandolin.com/products/jinkxanddela
Pictured Jim Kent, Jinkx Monsoon, and BenDeLaCreme
Upcoming dates for the tour across the U.S. and Canada are:
November 29, 2022: Boston
November 30, 2022: Philadelphia
December 2-3, 2022: New York City
December 4, 2022: Washington, D.C.
December 6, 2022: St. Paul, Minn.
December 7, 2022: Chicago
December 8, 2022: Detroit
December 9, 2022: Indianapolis
December 11, 2022: Austin
December 12, 2022: Dallas
December 14, 2022: Denver
December 16, 2022: San Diego
December 17, 2022: San Francisco
December 18-19, 2022: Los Angeles
December 21-24, 2022: Seattle
December 27, 2022: Portland, Ore.
December 29, 2022: Calgary
December 30, 2022: Vancouver
Pictured BenDeLaCreme
The show co-stars and is co-written by BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon — and is produced and directed by BenDeLaCreme. This year’s tour is their largest to date. You can visit jinkxanddela.com for more information, an assortment of fun merchandise, and to buy tickets. VIP packages, including meet-and-greet opportunities, are also available for purchase.
Pictured Ruby Mimosa, Jim Kent, Shane Donohue, Jinkx Monsoon, BenDeLaCreme, Chloe Albin, Mr. Babygirl, and Elby Brosch
