Would it really be the holiday season without Drag Race royalty Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme bringing their festive tour to a theatre near you? No points for guessing the answer. In fact, there are also no points for guessing that the show is phenomenal, but when has something these queens have worked on not been? In many ways, The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show feels like a victory lap for the beloved duo, whose success has gone long beyond the reality TV series that once made them famous.
Opening their fourth-self written holiday show to a sold out crowd at the London Palladium on 17 November, it takes mere seconds for Jinkx and DeLa to have the audience in hysterics. The plot, which at times is a generous term to use (in the best way possible), sees the two travel through time in order to determine what they could have done differently to avoid the chaos of today. They are visited by three ghosts from the past, present and future who each help them get to decades between the 1960s to 1990s (and, yes, there are over-the-top outfits to match each era they go to).
Musical numbers are woven throughout, the first of which cleverly introduces Jinkx and DeLa’s opposing views on the holiday season – something which becomes a running theme for the duration of the evening. Classics such as Don’t Stop Believin’ and I Will Survive are rewritten to give them a camp and festive twist, allowing for Jinkx and DeLa to shine together and as individuals. The concluding track – Looking at the Lights – was written by DeLa, composed by Major Scales and is performed by Jinkx at the climax of the night – proving that the pair’s sheer amount of talent is enough to captivate a crowd as it serves as a welcome pause from the comedy.
Curtis Brown
Packed with witty one-liners which range from jokes about cocaine to their time on Drag Race, some of the finest moments in The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show come when the duo go off-script. At one point, an audience member takes it upon themselves to heckle Jinkx in response to a rhetorical question she asks. She then proceeds to tell said person that it is a scripted show and, “none of you have lines!” in what instantly became one of the most enjoyable parts of the night. It’s also both a testament and reminder of how incredible Jinkx and DeLa are, as they can effortlessly deviate from the script and improvise something just as hilarious as what they had planned. At times, things get so good that even Jinkx struggles to stay in character and has to have a brief laugh to herself – something that is welcomed by the crowd.
So, whether you’re a fan of Jinkx and DeLa or not, this tour is a must-see and truly does have something for everyone. It serves as two hours of escapism from the real world and is sure to become a staple in your holiday season if it’s your first time seeing one of their infamous Holiday Shows. Tickets are still available to some of the remaining dates and can be found here.
GAY TIMES gives The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show 5/5 stars.
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