Jinkx Monsoon isn’t the only reason to see Broadway’s ‘Chicago’ right now
Chicago, recently got a booster shot by drag superstar Jinkx Monsoon.The winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars Season 7 has long had eyes on the stage, from their cabaret show The Vaudevillians with musical partner Major Scales to the perennial holiday favorite touring productions with BenDeLaCreme — but Broadway finally beckoned.
Jinkx has bolstered Chicago’s box office since joining the company as Matron “Mama” Morton this January. The show played to 100 percent capacity the week ending February 12, with RPDR fans hovering around the stage door, hoping to catch a glimpse of the star.The morning after her crowning, Jinkx spoke with Queerty to unpack the season that was, touching on her favorite runway looks, her bond with Monét X Change, and her big plans for the year ahead.With more than 10,000 performances (the production is a revival — the original Chicago, which opened in 1975, ran a respectable two years), the musical vaudeville based on real-life Jazz Age criminals has proven its staying power.
Its revolving door of celebrity replacements, including, among others, Angelica Ross, Jasmine Guy, Todrick Hall, and Isaac Mizrahi, have garnered the kinds of headlines that its two lead characters, Roxie and Velma, could only wish for.But Chicago is the real deal.
The revival won six Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, and with good reason. Here are five of them:The score is a knock-out featuring music by John Kander and lyrics by Fred Ebb.
