SEATTLE — Northwest native and global drag performer Jinkx Monsoon is back in Seattle for a new show, alongside longtime creative partner Major Scales.
“Together Again… Again” is playing the Seattle Rep during Pride Month.
"I was born and raised in Portland and then lived in Seattle for very formative years of my career, and I really feel Seattle is largely responsible for all of this,” Monsoon said.
She met Scales when they were students at Cornish College, and they showcased their first production in small venues on Capitol Hill.
"I would stand on a dumpster outside of Cupcake Royale getting people off the street to just come in and 'pay what you can,'” Monsoon said.
Scales added, "We played to two people in a restaurant. On Valentine's Day...”
“And they were his friends. So, it hardly counted,” Monsoon said.
But by 2014, their production “The Vaudevillians” became a hit. They played extended runs off-Broadway, and toured Australia and the UK.
Monsoon also found fame after winning Season 5 of "RuPaul’s Drag Race." (She would later win the All Stars version, earning the title “Queen of All Queens.”)
She's also starred on Broadway in “Chicago” and landed a guest spot on British television show “Dr. Who.”
Monsoon and Scales wrote "Together Again, Again," as a reflection on their past decade.
"It takes place in an imagined future where we play older versions of our stage selves," Scales said.
"I love that the show is very much written with a sensibility for Seattle," Monsoon added. "It's written to welcome in people who have no idea who we are, but if you do know who we are, there's a lot of Easter eggs."
The show is part musical and part stand-up. But behind the silly comedy, there are real issues and vulnerability.
"Humor's always been my coping mechanism,” Monsoon said. "The world's a very scary place for people like us right now. People in our own country are trying to create laws to make it impossible for us to exist. That’s scary. And I channel it into this absurdist comedy we do.”
Scales added, "Sometimes it's just nice to leave people laughing. I think we get a lot of joy out of just bringing joy to people."
"Together Again… Again” runs at the Seattle Rep through June 23 and tickets are available online.
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