Hi, Jinkx and DeLa! How are you doing today?

Jinkx and DeLa: Good!

Great. What's the beginning of your creative process like together for a new holiday show?

DeLa: Well, I think, you know, pretty early into the year Jinkx and I start tossing around whatever weird ideas we think we might want to fold into our Christmas tour the next year. And then sometime in the early spring, we start reaching out to each other and freaking out and saying, “Oh my God, how are we possibly going to make another year of Christmas content?” And then at some point, we get together and start making each other laugh — and then we know it's all going to be okay.

Jinkx: Yeah. Imagine the movie The Shining, but it's a comedy.

DeLa: Yeah, we just lock ourselves in a haunted hotel, and what comes out…

Jinkx: A show. A holiday show.

How much have you had to cut out of a holiday show for time? Do you come back to those creative ideas for the next show?

DeLa: We're writing kind of a ton. I think Jinkx and I have gotten good enough at crafting this thing, that by the time we hit our first preview, we trimmed a lot of the fat; we don't generally cut a whole lot once it's in front of an audience. But I think part of that is that we are deeply unafraid to cut things as we go. I think we know that. We generate a lot of ideas, and the best show comes out of only keeping the strongest ones. But yeah, I mean, a lot of times Jinkx and I have folded in old desires that hit the cutting room floor because it didn't quite make sense that year. I mean, this year, particularly Jinkx is getting to do a number that I think she has fantasized about for six years. 

Jinkx: Just think sexy Krampus. One of the wonderful things about live entertainment is we work really, really hard on making sure that show number one — like, first preview — gets an amazing show. And then we get to learn from those previews. And like DeLa said, finesse the show a little bit as we go. But we settled into the show as quickly as possible. And it's it's amazing how much you learn from an audience. What I love about this production is we make sure that every single audience gets a fantastic show — even the preview audiences. Because we need those preview audiences. Really as a benefit, as a live entertainer to get to share something in front of an audience, and hear what works. 

DeLa: Yeah, absolutely.

Jinkx: You don’t get that in film and TV.

What memories do you have from individual and duo touring in the Twin Cities at all?

DeLa: Oh, wow. You know, I mean, I gotten to do a couple of my solo shows there. And I at those times have always just had the most incredible reception and audiences I mean people are so enthusiastic just out of the gate and will really go on whatever journey that you that you want to take them on. I mean, I find the Twin Cities audiences are great. Great in that they're there to be excited. They're willing to laugh, but they also will go on a ride with us. 

Jinkx: I like to call them the “Sin Cities," and that's the perfect place for me.

Derek: I was actually going to ask you Jinkx because you're a roast master what you would roast about the Twin Cities or the Midwest, but that's perfect right there. The sin cities.

Jinkx: Well the Midwest there’s almost too much material to get into it right now. We don't have enough time. 

Derek: Exactly!

Jinkx: The Midwest can take a backseat to Florida any day.

Would you ever consider a sequel to your holiday special film, or a live taping of your stage show?

DeLa: Well, if you all wear your masks, then no. I mean I think Jinkx and I had such an incredible time making that film, but it's so rewarding to focus on the live tour. Because we get you know this this particular production is so much about community and gathering together. And so we really get to manifest that in real time when we're touring live, but you know, I think Jinkx and I would love to make more films together, but as long as we can be with audiences in person for the holidays. We're going to make sure that we can be. 

Jinkx: Yeah. We’ve never replace our our live shows entirely. You know, we never convert fully to digital. But you know, it's fun to have, you know, like The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Special, which is still available at JinkxandDeLa.com It's fun to have this like this time capsule, that no matter what, we created a film and it came out of the strife of the pandemic. So it's a testament to the community we're talking about because that film came into existence through community, and now it exists forever. So you can always watch it, and it's a wonderful companion piece to our live show. 

DeLa: We probably won't do another full production anytime soon the way that we did during a pandemic. We do give people who can't make it to the show an opportunity to stream it, every single year. So every year we will do a live streaming of the show that people can watch from home if you're in a city where you're not able to catch it, or if the show's already sold out.

That's a fabulous idea. Yeah. I was wondering, on the note of community, why do you think the holiday show has become a yearly tradition for the queer community and drag fans alike?

Jinkx: I think because you know traditions like this rise out of a need, you know, and I think there is an annual need of feeling not alone. 

DeLa: The holidays can be a really difficult time for a lot of folks, but specifically in the queer community. Even if these ideas of homecoming and togetherness are not things that we've always had access to — or that have rung true for us. We can create our own traditions and, you know, the queer community can be its own family, if we if we choose that. So that’s I think something that resonates with a lot of queer folks throughout the year. But, you know, on top of it, you have to remember that Christmas is aesthetically basically pride in a different color scheme. It's the time of year where everybody starts singing, and wearing sparkly sweaters, so it's pretty inherently gay to begin with.

I love that. What can audiences expect at The Jinkx and DeLa Holiday Show at Northrop Theatre on December 11?

Jinkx: Every year we try to bring bigger, bolder, flashier ideas to the stage — and this year is no exception. I call it theatre magic. We've got a lot of theatre magic planned because we have a wonderful cast of dancers that is going to allow for some visual spectacle… and some really big, lively, choreographed numbers. It just makes us excited, because we have so many resources now to put on a good show. So expect all the like glamour and sparkle that you would from two drag goddesses like ourselves, but also expect like just a really well-crafted production with really talented people and designers.

DeLa: Every year Jinkx and I feel so bolstered by our audiences, who every single year respond so well to what we do, and every year we get a little bit older and bolder about how crazy we're willing to get with this thing. Because we learn that our audiences really respond well to the authenticity of us just leaning into how bonkers and weird we like to get. So every year our way of addressing Christmas gets a little more wacky and off the rails. Last year we did a bit of a sci-fi. Then this year, we’ve got a sort of supernatural Twilight Zone element. We keep it Christmas, and we love that people really seem to — every single year — embrace the madness. It makes it so much more fun for us, and that makes the relationship between us and the audience really just a blast.

Thank you so much Jinkx and DeLa! It's always a pleasure to speak with you. I've interviewed you before, and met you in person at the shows, and you're just delightful. Thank you so much for everything.

Jinkx: Thank you.

DeLa: Well, thank you. It’s great to talk to you.