Anti-Imperialism/Foreign Policy

“In ‘Chicago,’ Jinkx Monsoon Is the Star,” by Brock Colyar

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— Carl Swanson, editor-at-large, New York

Jinkx Monsoon is the only person to win her season of both RuPaul’s Drag Race and All-Stars (which pits winners of other seasons against one another). She’s funny, sings well, and knows the gay “tragic, drunk, fierce old lady” canon (she does a spot-on dissipated Judy Garland). But, as fans know and other contestants have carped about, she’s no hot dancer or fashion glamour queen. Right now she’s starring as warden Mama Morton in Chicago, a show that has kept itself relevant (in a manner very much related to the fame-chasing themes of the musical itself) through rounds of stunt casting. As Brock Colyar writes, it’s the culmination of a dream she has had since she was a kid in Portland, Oregon, dressing up in drag and singing “All That Jazz.” As she asked Brock, who visited her in rehearsals and near her place in Brooklyn, “Is it weird that I have always aspired to be washed up?”
The Name on Everybody’s Lips Is Jinkxie The Drag Race champ says she’s “always aspired to be washed up.” In Chicago, she’s definitely the star.
Photo: Cameron Postforoosh
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