(Photo by Jacob Ritts)
Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme are both powerhouse performers, something audiences around the world have known about the drag icons for over a decade.
Monsoon won the fifth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” in 2013 and was subsequently crowned “Queen of all Queens” in 2022. That’s when she won an all-winners season of the reality competition’s “All Stars” spinoff.
DeLa is also no stranger to making “Drag Race” herstory. The entertainer made her debut in its sixth season, winning Miss Congeniality, and was largely seen as a frontrunner on “All Stars” season three. Instead of securing a crown, however, she chose to eliminate herself rather than a fellow competitor.
In recent years Monsoon has featured on and Off-Broadway, securing high-profile roles in “Chicago” and “Little Shop of Horrors,” and appeared on Disney+ in “Doctor Who.” DeLa has also become an experienced and in-demand director, something evident in — among other endeavors — “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show.”
Co-created and co-written by Monsoon and DeLa, and separate from their film “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special,” the latter has directed the tour since its inception. It returns for its sixth iteration this holiday season.
“As another year defiantly slaps the ‘well at least it can’t get any worse’ out of our mouths, we need ways not just to cope, but to gather strength,” DeLa announced the 18+ tour, which stops at Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center Nov. 13 and Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall Nov. 14.
“Are there any tools greater than comedy, sequins and song? Yeah, absolutely. But those are the gifts Jinkx and I have to share, and we hope you’ll share them with us,” she continued. “All the lights and songs and trappings of the holidays were created to help get us through the coldest darkest part of the year … In a world that feels increasingly dark, please come make some light with us. We will gladly share our warmth.”
“I seriously can’t believe it’s the holidays again already,” Monsoon added. “Who has time to plan festivities when the world is bananas? What are we supposed to do when everything feels so chaotic?
“Well, what DeLa and I do is put on a show,” she continued. “The holidays are upon us whether we like it or not, but the Jinkx and DeLa team are well equipped to bring you the holiday cheer and warm feeling of community we all need in the harsh winter months.”
Watermark got into the holiday spirit with Jinkx and DeLa ahead of time. The duo discussed their latest holiday tour, why they’re intentionally bringing it to Florida and more.
WATERMARK: How was this year’s holiday show conceived?
DeLa: That’s oftentimes our question too! Like, we’ve done SO MUCH with these shows in seven years… What can we do next? Every single year we seem to find ways to get wilder and more ambitious, and part of that is just that we’ve already run through all the most obvious Christmas tropes, so we’ve gotta get weird!
This one is in some ways a whole new direction for Jinkx and DeLa, and it’s influenced by both the madness in the world around us and our insistence that we can find joy within it. So we batted around a bunch of our thoughts about the world today, found another classic holiday story we could turn on its head, peppered in some of the incredible music 2024 has gifted us and a few original ditties, and we got ourselves a show!
What are some of your major takeaways from previous iterations of the show?
Jinkx: I think what I appreciate the most about our production is its authenticity: it is a show by queer people, for queer people and allies — performed and designed and crewed and promoted and written and directed by — you guessed it: queer people. I think it sends a clear message to the more exploitative business people out there, who have taken advantage of queer performers. I like that we are able to create the work and working environment we both desire and hope to foster.
Why is this year’s show a must-see for those who have seen previous iterations?
DeLa: Like I said, it’s got everything you expect from Jinkx and DeLa — all-new costumes and visuals, all-new comedy, all-new music, all-new dance, blah, blah, blah… but this year we’re tackling our most narratively dense show yet.
No one has seen us do an “epic quest” quite like this. And we’re messing with a holiday classic we’ve never touched before. We’ve run through most of ’em, so that means we were saving this one for something good. But our bottom line is always creating something cathartic and hilarious and joyous. And every year we need that more than the last.
Why is it a must-see for those who haven’t, or don’t attend a lot of holiday shows?
Jinkx: We are the holiday show for everyone, and I mean everyone, as you don’t even have to like the winter holiday season to enjoy our show — in fact, I prefer it!
DeLa, what are some of the most challenging and rewarding parts about directing this and other shows?
DeLa: The most challenging part of this one is it’s just a BEAST. Being the director, producer, and co-writer gets especially wild when you’re grassroots the way we are. In the last two days I have had multiple meetings with my co-producers, our PR team, three costume designers, one puppet maker, a composer, a music producer, a set designer, my lighting designer, my director of photography, my dancers and my choreographer. I have sent out casting notices for a video shoot, storyboarded two videos, sketched multiple costume designs, and prop mock-ups, and then emergency speed-driven to find last minute replacement fabric and run it to FedEx JUST in time to overnight ship it to Chicago. And that’s between Jinkx and I writing multiple songs and pages of dialogue.
So that’s the most challenging part, but it’s also the most rewarding part. Because I get to collaborate with all these brilliant people who trust me enough to want to work that hard with me, because they believe in what we are making. I like getting to be the person pulling together all that creative genius into one cohesive thing, and I can make it through this hard part because I know what it is like to be on that stage with those incredible audiences freaking’ out. Jinkx and I and the entire team get to feel all the appreciation for all the hours we put in. And I get to share that with the people I work with who are also my chosen family.
Jinkx, has your recent work on Broadway and television impacted how you approach touring?
Jinkx: I think everything impacts the next thing — you never know when one skill set might apply to the other. That’s what I love about being an artist — anything can find its way into the work if you’re clever.
I have learned that my life in live entertainment has greatly impacted my skills and attributes as a film/camera actor, and vise versa, because at the end of the day, it’s all about the same thing: having authentic, genuine conversations with the audience and fellow performers.
You’re co-founders of Drag PAC, which fights to protect LGBTQ+ rights through democratic action. Why was being a part of it important to you?
DeLa: Political action and drag go hand-in-hand. I think political action and just being queer go hand-in-hand. Or being a member of any marginalized community and not hiding. Our bodies and our presence in the world are politicized no matter what, so damn right we’re going to be in charge of it.
There is a lot of change that needs to happen in this country and DragPAC’s mission is to empower people to make that change. It’s not happening unless we all MAKE it happen. I’m just grateful that I can apply the skill sets I have to maybe motivate people, and to remind them we ALL have our own unique skills we can use in this fight.
Jinkx: I believe firmly in people being educated in the truth — not a warped, twisted version of the truth, that fits a very hateful, narrow-minded, bigoted narrative. My hope is to encourage the younger generation to look into the actual facts — the actual plans of the politicians making our laws. I believe that there is a lot of work to be done in our government, but most immediately, our civil liberties and long held American ideals are being threatened by a party that wishes to replace democracy with a religious based fascist regime.
While I want people to decide for themselves — I want to help present them with the hard truths of what this election means for our freedom as a society, and our ability to protest, dissent, and hold our government accountable in the future. One candidate has made it very clear that, if elected, their party would abolish and or punish free speech that criticizes the government. That is an upheaval of everything I have been taught this country stands for, and I am fighting it hoof and nail.
You’ll be visiting Florida and other states known for passing anti-LGBTQ+ — and specifically anti-trans and anti-drag — legislation in recent years. Why is that important to you?
Jinkx: It’s important to me as a trans person who has experienced a lot of safety and comfort, based on my geography. It honestly makes me so upset that there are many trans individuals hurting right now, because they are being affected by bigoted laws already implemented by their city or state.
I hate that one’s agency over their own body; when it comes to their reproductive rights, or their gender expression, etc., that their freedom is determined by their geography in this country — a country that boasts a fair and equal standard of living for all of its citizens, but has never once delivered on that promise. I bring this show to those places to try to share some hope and enthusiasm for queer communities that are surrounded by negativity.
DeLa: This is a dark scary time for all of us, but it’s closer to some people’s doorsteps, and it is important they know that we’re with them, even if we’re not always there physically. Year after year we’re bummed we can’t get everywhere — there are only so many days in the holiday season. But this year we knew there were certain places we needed to be even if it meant missing some others. This show is about joy and laughter and hope, and we’re taking it where it’s needed.
What message do you have for your LGBTQ+ fans here in Florida?
Jinkx: I won’t give up or stop using my voice to speak out for our community — so long as our rights and freedoms are threatened, anywhere. We have to realize the LGBTQ+ community is a global community and both take comfort in that and rise to the responsibility of taking care of our communities around the world, not just around the corner. Enough is enough: we’re human beings, we exist. We are not an accident or abomination — I am sick of having to speak diplomatically about people who openly and proudly express their desire for my extermination. So I won’t anymore. These fascists need to be stopped.
Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme will bring “The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show” to Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center Nov. 13 and Clearwater’s Ruth Eckerd Hall Nov. 14. For more information and to purchase tickets and/or VIP experiences, visit JinkxAndDela.com. Watch “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special” at JinkxAndDeLaMovie.com.
