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BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon fly into Austin for 2024 holiday show

BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show 2024 Tour

This Christmas spectacular is now in its seventh year.

Photo by Jacob Ritts

Fan favorite RuPaul's Drag Race alumni BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon are already planning for the holidays. The corrupted classic duo is hitting the road in November for the Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show 2024 Tour, stopping in three Texas cities along the way.

November 18 - Houston, Bayou Music Center
November 19 - Austin, Long Center
November 20 - Dallas, Majestic Theatre

This holiday spectacular, dripping with old-fashioned charm, sarcasm, and costume changes, is now in its seventh year. After six live shows and one recorded "in the bunker" thanks to pandemic shut downs, this year's edition is another brand-new show.

The tour spans 33 cities with a total of 38 shows. Unfortunately for Texans, there's only one performance in each city. However, Houston is lucky to be added to the tour for the first time this year. The duo is kicking things off with previews in Charlotte, North Carolina, on November 7 and 8, and wrapping the tour up in Portland, Oregon, on December 29. There is no Christmas Day show, but there is a December 24 matinee in Seattle, Washington.

This is, of course, no regular Christmas show. In past performances Jinkx and DeLa have parodied classics like A Christmas Carol with a time travel twist, battled AI overlords, and gotten existential in multiple universes. Tying things together is always song and dance, over-the-top costumes, and even a bit of sincerity sprinkled in.

During their stints on Drag Race — including All Stars runs for both — each performer charmed audiences with theatrical, Old Hollywood or Broadway spins informing their main drag styles. Both singers and strong actors, DeLa and Jinkx are two of the leading drag artists in the more vaudeville style, while others have gone on to be standup comedians, podcast hosts, pop stars, and fashion icons.

An artist presale begins July 9 at noon CT (use code "HOHOHO"). Tickets go on general sale July 12 at noon CT at JinkxandDeLa.com. VIP Packages, including photo opportunity and a Q&A with the stars, are only available to purchase separately at JinkxandDeLa.com with proof of ticket purchase.

2024 Tour Dates:

November 7 - PREVIEW - Charlotte, NC (Booth Playhouse)
November 8 - PREVIEW - Charlotte, NC (Booth Playhouse)
November 10 - Durham, NC (DPAC)
November 11 - Atlanta, GA (Atlanta Symphony Hall)
November 13 - Orlando, FL (Dr. Phillips Center - Steinmetz Hall)
November 14 - Clearwater, FL (Ruth Eckerd Hall)
November 17 - New Orleans, LA (Orpheum Theater)
November 18 - Houston, TX (Bayou Music Center)
November 19 - Austin, TX (Long Center)
November 20 - Dallas, TX (Majestic Theatre)
November 23 - Indianapolis, IN (Murat Theatre at Old National Center)
November 24 - Cincinnati, OH (Taft Theatre)
November 25 - Detroit, MI (Masonic Cathedral Theatre)
November 26 - Toronto, ON (Meridian Hall)
November 28 - Montreal, QC (L’Olympia)
November 29 - Albany, NY (The Egg)
November 30 - Washington, DC (Lincoln Theatre)
December 1 - Philadelphia, PA (Academy of Music)
December 2 - Boston, MA (Wang Theatre at Boch Centre)
December 5 - Brooklyn, NY (Kings Theatre)
December 6 - Cleveland, OH (Playhouse Square)
December 7 - Louisville, KY (Brown Theatre at Kentucky Performing Arts)
December 8 - Chicago, IL (Auditorium Theatre)
December 11 - Minneapolis, MN (Pantages Theatre)
December 12 - Kansas City, MO (The Midland Theatre)
December 13 - Denver, CO (Paramount Theatre)
December 15 - Las Vegas, NV (The Theater at Virgin Hotels)
December 16 - Los Angeles, CA (Dolby Theatre)
December 17 - San Diego, CA (Balboa Theatre)
December 18 - San Francisco, CA (The Warfield)
December 19 - San Francisco, CA (The Warfield)
December 21 - Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
December 22 - Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
December 23 - Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
December 24 - MATINEE - Seattle, WA (Moore Theatre)
December 27 - Spokane, WA (First Interstate Center for the Arts)
December 28 - Vancouver, BC (Queen Elizabeth Theatre)
December 29 - Portland, OR (Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall)

theater holidays christmas

Movie Review

Highly anticipated Wicked movie adaptation deserves to be popular

Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-Butera in Wicked.

The musical Wicked is indisputably the biggest Broadway smash of the 21st century, having grossed more $1.6 billion in New York alone and achieving the rare feat of running for over 20 years. All of which is to say that the long-awaited movie adaptation of The Wizard of Oz prequel will most likely be a massive success whether it lives up to what longtime fans envisioned or not.

Part one — yes, this 2 hour and 40 minute film is merely the first act of the musical; part two arrives a year from now — introduces Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), the green-skinned witch who goes on to become Dorothy’s nemesis, and G(a)linda (Ariana Grande-Butera), the pink-garbed “good” witch, as they meet at Shiz University in Oz. Glinda is the ultra-popular one with sycophantic hangers-on, while Elphaba is shunned by almost everyone, sometimes including her disabled sister Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who’s desperate to make her own space away from Elphaba.

Her mistreatment by others leads Elphaba to get angry, which manifests itself in uncontrollable magic. Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) notices this and takes a personal interest in her, giving her one-on-one instruction in hopes of harnessing her power. In the meantime, Elphaba and Glinda attempt to go from forced roommates to actual friends, although Glinda’s entitled personality is more of an obstacle than anything else they encounter.

Directed by Jon M. Chu and written by original book writer Winnie Holzman and Dana Fox, the film does a great job of distinguishing itself from the stage version while still remaining true to what made it so beloved. As Chu showed in his last film, In the Heights, he has an innate feel for how to tap into the essence of the source material while expanding it into something befitting the scope of a blockbuster movie.

In this case, he finds a way to give even greater emphasis to the bigotry that Elphaba faces simply because of her green skin; the fact that she is being played by a Black woman drives home the point even more. The story remains light and fluffy for the most part, but the ostracization/otherness that Elphaba feels is delivered in a powerful way, as is her empathy for talking animals like Dr. Dillamond (voiced by Peter Dinklage), who are facing their own persecution.

Of course, the highlight of the film is Stephen Schwartz’s music, and while not all of the songs are equal in impact, they still make for a cohesive whole. The number of songs and order they appear in the first act is identical to the stage musical, with the standouts remaining “The Wizard and I,” “Popular,” and “Defying Gravity.” While there is some superfluous action and cutaways added to certain numbers, it’s not enough to distract from what makes the songs effective.

Oddly, the progression of the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda works better on stage when the timeline is accelerated, but Erivo and Grande-Butera make up for this slight lack with their fantastic performances. The emotion each brings to their characters fits them almost perfectly, and there’s simply no denying the strength of each of their voices. Bode, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, and more make for a solid supporting cast.

The well-known ending of the first act of Wicked is a huge high point that is so good that it almost makes up for the fact that audiences won’t see the second film for a long time. But if part one is any indication, part two should turn out to be another great musical theater adaptation in a decade that has already seen its fair share.

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Wicked opens in theaters on November 22.

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