BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon Promise a Weirder and Wilder Holiday Extravaganza

What has become the queer holiday attraction that's not to be missed? The answer is easy – The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show (produced by BenDeLaCreme Presents) that is currently touring the country. (Click here to learn if they are coming to a city near you.)

The duo has been performing holiday shows since 2018 when they premiered "To Jesus, Thanks for Everything! -Jinkx and DeLa." The following year they returned with "All I Want for Christmas is Attention" for a sold-out national tour. When the pandemic hit, the pair regrouped for their next show, "The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special," that went on to become a Hulu special.

Their latest is their biggest to date, including more cities, more dates, and bigger venues – all proof that the two (sorry, Mariah) have become reigning "queens of Christmas'' (Entertainment Weekly).

The two, both "RuPaul's Drag Race" alums, have active careers when they are not collaborating. Last year BenDeLaCreme toured her off-Broadway show "Ready To Be Committed," around the country. Jinkx Monsoon had a hugely successful appearance as Mama Morton in the long-running hit "Chicago" on Broadway.

EDGE spoke to the comedy duo about their rapport, why their show has become a holiday tradition, and why the holiday season is especially meaningful for queer people.

EDGE: Tell us about this year's show. Why do you work so well together as a duo?

BenDeLaCreme: It is a continuation of the Jinkx and DeLa holiday tradition that's been growing for the last six years, but every year we also try to up the ante. Every year we are focused on the joy that we can derive from a difficult season, chosen family, and chosen traditions. Last year, we had a sci-fi theme and that was fun. We are always wondering how weird the audience will allow us to get. This year we're going even weirder and pulling in the Christmas ghosts and doing a supernatural "Twilight Zone" – "White Christmas" hybrid.

Jinkx Monsoon: With a soupçon of "Poltergeist."

EDGE: Why do you work so well together as a duo?

Jinkx Monsoon: We met in Seattle, and I think we both have talked about how Seattle and the Pacific Northwest really influenced the direction we both wanted to take our drag. We have found ways to incorporate many different mediums into drag. At this point, DeLa's a producer, writer, director, actor, singer, recording artist, and tap dancer. Between the two of us, we've got a lot of skills with a little talent. Our friendship runs deep and has been tested so many times. We are still together because we have defeated the odds and became really good friends. You don't see it often because the world likes to pit feminine people against each other, but we fight that hoof and nail. It's a choice you make because you love the person. Every year, Dela says, "We're doing an even weirder show" or I like to say an even more authentic show. We trust each other and the audiences and see it.

EDGE: How do you write a new show every year, with a new script and storyline, new songs, new dance numbers, new costumes, everything?

BenDeLaCreme: Every year, we set aside a big chunk of time to focus on creating a new sow. We just lock ourselves in a room. I think Jinkx and I have a fun style of working together, and over the years we've only gotten better at utilizing our skills. In those meetings, we just spit out every. Our mantra is always, that there are no dumb ideas, so we just say every single thing that possibly comes into our head. We both just have a way of really building off each other. The result is that we always come up with fresh and fun stuff.

EDGE: Your holiday show has become a yearly tradition for queer audiences and drag fans. How long can you keep it going?

Jinkx Monsoon: As long as audiences keep coming to it? We are not afraid to talk about what the artists go through to put on this show. What I love about this year's show is it's a reflection on the enduring process of putting on the show every year. It's funny because you're asking a question that when you come to see the show, you'll have the answer. We do it because we choose to and because we love it. It's a privilege and an honor to be a part of someone's holiday tradition. There have been years when putting the show on has taken greater effort and where we've had a difficult year, especially during the pandemic. That was a hard year to put on a show, but we did it because we really love the experience of getting to do it. If we didn't love it, we wouldn't do it. So, we'll keep doing it as long as people keep coming and we keep loving it.

EDGE: Tell us about your own holiday experiences growing up.

BenDeLaCreme: Jinkx and I had pretty different experiences growing up. I grew up in Connecticut and had a very stereotypical New England, grinning through our teeth, type of holiday season where everyone sat around the table and didn't talk about all of our wildly conflicting life views. I got GI Joe's instead of the My Little Ponies that I was hoping for. I dreaded the holidays every year growing up, so being able to shift and do something that was really about inventing what the holiday can be and aligning it with my values, my queer values, and my communities' values has been amazing. I love building a space for the various folks who do not identify with the holiday to come and flourish and celebrate in their own way.

Jinkx Monsoon: My grandma was known in my family, extended family, and all our friends as the house where if someone was down on their luck and needed a place to stay for a couple of weeks, she would take care of them. On Christmas Eve, she threw a huge Christmas party for all the people who didn't have a place to go or family to celebrate with. She provided a sense of community to our extended family and friends. I've now picked up the tradition of hosting the holiday celebrations, and even though we have to float it because of the show, some years we do it on Christmas day, and some years we do it a week later, but everyone's chill about it because my family knows that doing this show is keeping what my grandma was doing when she was alive. That's what I grew up with. I know that so many queer people don't get to experience that feeling from their blood family, so it's a huge honor and privilege to provide that feeling to people who are missing it with our show.

EDGE: How the holidays have historically been a time that stresses out queer people especially – some have been ostracized by family, some have to hide themselves around family, etc. What advice do you have for them?

BenDeLaCreme: We have been obviously ruminating on our thoughts about this for a really long time. I think it's about reframing things for yourself and realizing that just because something is a tradition or it's something that was pounded into your consciousness every year through the media or family doesn't mean you have to follow it. Your reality is exactly what you construct it to be. You can make your holiday what you want it to be, and you can surround yourself with the people that bring you joy. I think really, it's just understanding that the trap that has been set for you is one that you can walk around.

EDGE: Santa's coming down your chimney, what are you doing?

Jinkx Monsoon: Santa's coming down my chimney today? I'd say, where the hell did that chimney come from? If Santa came down my chimney, I'd have a lot of questions for him. I'd be like, "How could you just stand by and watch that?" That would be my number one question.

BenDeLaCreme: I think that's about right. I concur. If Santa popped down my chimney I'd say, "You're about 36 years too late, buddy."

Click here for upcoming dates for The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show (produced by BenDeLaCreme Presents) that continues through December 27 in cities in the United States.