Review: THE JINKX & DELA HOLIDAY SHOW at The Kings Theater Is Unhinged & Joyful

On December 4th, The Kings Theatre transformed into a glitter-covered holiday nightmare in the best possible way as Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme brought their newest Christmas spectacular to Brooklyn. It was the kind of night that reminded you why their holiday shows have become a staple. They make chaos feel comforting, and they make the holidays feel just a little less terrifying. Joined by an incredible supporting cast featuring Chloe Albin, Isaiah Brooks, Jace Gonzalez, Jim Kent, Ruby Mimosa, Derrick Parris, Gus Lanza, and Jeff Hiller, the entire evening felt like a drag-fueled snow globe of comedy and storytelling.

The show opened with a video featuring a Christmas tree narrator named Mr. Fir, voiced by Jeff Hiller, introducing us to the evening and instantly establishing the tone. DeLa was thrilled to have a narrator guiding the night, but Jinkx was immediately suspicious. Once they finally agreed, there was a twist and it was revealed that they would be performing a scary holiday anthology made of four short horror stories, Jinkx’s concern made a lot more sense. That running tension between them created the perfect framework for everything that followed.

The first story, “Jinkx/Mary’s Baby,” was a twisted retelling of the Nativity. DeLa began reading the section of the Bible where Mary is approached by an angel, but while annoyed DeLa smacked the angel away and accidentally ended up getting Jinkx pregnant. DeLa’s jealousy was hilarious, but it all changed when she realized Jinkx was not carrying the son of God. Jinkx just assumed the father had to be Satan, which led to the musical highlight of the act, “It’s Beginning to Look Apocalyptic,” a brilliant parody of “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.” By the end of the segment, Jinkx gave birth to Santa’s baby instead, which felt exactly right for this show.

“Jingle Bell Swap” came next, a body swap comedy where Jinkx and DeLa switched bodies to teach each other a lesson about their Christmas attitudes. The gag got even funnier because Jinkx had taken a few hits of a weed pen right before the swap, which left DeLa, in Jinkx’s body, so high she thought the audience did not know what was happening. Their impressions of each other were outrageous, and watching them attempt each other’s signature numbers was one of the funniest parts of the entire night. The lesson they took away from the experience was simple and surprisingly sweet: I like being me more than being you.

After intermission DeLa came back with a Christmas-themed cover of “Soda Pop” from K-Pop Demon Hunters, turning it into a song about Santa Claus. That led into the third story, “Rise of Rodudu,” where DeLa received a Rudolph-themed Labubu toy that was powered by AI and promised to do all her thinking for her. Jinkx was immediately horrified and of course she was right. Once Rodudu started learning too quickly, things escalated and the toy went full killer robot. Jinkx performed a hysterical parody of “Another One Bites the Dust” about kids following trends instead of wanting real toys. Thankfully Rodudu’s reign ended when the next trendy item was released.

The final story, “Hunklins,” was a direct nod to Gremlins. After spilling a drink on their assistant Hunky the Elf, played by co-producer Gus Lanza, multiple wild versions of him emerged and quickly tore through the set. The solution was perfectly on brand. Jinkx and DeLa realized the only way to calm the chaos was to welcome them into the family. Everything wrapped up with their signature holiday finale, “Everyone Is Traumatized by Christmas,” a song that brings the humor and honesty of the season together in a way only these two can pull off.

By the time the curtain call rolled around, Kings Theatre felt like it had been hit by a sleigh full of glitter, gay panic, and holiday nostalgia. Jinkx and DeLa once again proved why their Christmas shows are the perfect seasonal tradition. It was joyful, clever, completely unhinged, and exactly what the holidays needed.

Photos by Santiago Felipe