Now in its eighth year, global drag icons and RuPaul’s Drag Race stars BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are back on tour with The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show – a hilarious, unhinged, and queer production that pushes the boundaries of the holiday spectacle. The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show has touched down in Chicago once again for a limited engagement this time at the storied Chicago Theatre. For one glittering night, the marquee lights up with the names of drag royalty Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme, transforming the historic venue into a festive playground of camp, comedy, and holiday magic.
This year’s show – directed, produced, and written by BenDeLaCreme – is structured as a holiday anthology. Each segment spirals into its own brand of festive absurdity: an homage to Freaky Friday, immaculate conception, and hilarious twists on holiday horror a la The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror.” Every story is bigger than the last and more delightfully deranged, featuring Broadway-style musical numbers, both beautiful and creepily extravagant costumes, and innuendo galore. The pace of the night is relentless in the best way possible: each scene seems determined to outdo the last.
While the show returns each year, it’s reborn anew every season. Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme craft a completely fresh production - new themes, script, music, choreography, costumes - supported by months of writing and rehearsal. It takes a village of brilliant, authentic artists to pull off such a one-of-a-kind performance that feels both polished and chaotic. The end result is a show that feels handcrafted with love, humor, and both endless glitter and weed.
Fear not - though the production is reinvented from the ground up each year, one beloved constant remains: Hunky the Elf, played with irresistible charm by Gus Lanza. Far from being sidelined, he’s front and center, anchoring the show with his mischievous energy and magnetic stage presence. And he’s not alone. Joining him is a powerhouse dance ensemble—Chloe Albin, Isaiah Brooks, Jace Gonzalez, Jim Kent, Ruby Mimosa, and Derrick Paris—whose precision, athleticism, and sheer joy transform the evening into something far beyond a two-queen comedy showcase. Together, they expand the world of Jinkx and DeLa into a glittering holiday spectacular, complete with dazzling choreography, ensemble-driven spectacle, and the kind of theatrical grandeur that makes the show feel less like a cabaret and more like a full-scale seasonal event. Over the course of the evening, the ensemble shifted seamlessly from jolly to eerie to sultry - and back again - never breaking a sweat. What makes it truly captivating is that each performer brings their own unique flavor to every vignette, ensuring the group’s cohesion never overshadows their individuality.
Of course, at the heart of the chaos is the dynamic duo of Jinkx and DeLa. Their banter is razor sharp, but even in the craziest of moments and wildest twists of plot, the two maintain a warmth and camaraderie that invites their audience into the joke with them.
Even at their most outrageous - and believe me, the outrageousness is abundant - Jinkx and DeLa never lose sight of the heart. They understand that a true holiday show needs more than glitter and gags; it requires a touch of deeper meaning to resonate.
“How do we keep singing and dancing when the horrors persist?” Jinkx asks.
“The horrors are precisely why we must keep singing and dancing,” DeLa answers.
Amid all the silliness and the spectacle, their show is a reminder that queer joy matters. That communal joy matters. That holiday joy matters, and that everyone can find joy in the holidays.
The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show is making the yuletide gay with their queer, communal holiday joy across 30 cities throughout the U.S. and Canada until December 30th, offering the perfect blend of camp, chaos, and heart in what is sure to become your new favorite holiday tradition.
For tickets and more information, visit jinkxanddela.com
