by James Whitely - SGN Staff Writer

On Monday, March 11, Julia's on Broadway was filled to capacity by RuPaul's Drag Race fans eager to watch the new episode featuring Jinkx Monsoon, the first Seattle performer to compete for the title of 'America's Next Drag Superstar.' Alongside local queen and burlesque sensation Ben DeLaCreme, Monsoon played host for screenings of Drag Race and its after-show Untucked, answering questions and providing behind-the-scenes commentary during commercial breaks.

As the repeat of the previous week's episode was coming to a close, Monsoon stumbled down between the rows of seats to the stage, performing a mash-up number of two of his favorite comediennes, Madeline Kahn and Deven Green. Monsoon told the audience of more than 200 that he wanted to open with a comedy number, given the nature of the night's episode, 'The RuPaul Roast.' He added that this episode was his favorite so far - after 'Snatch Game,' of course, which he won.

As the new episode got underway, the two hosts ordered several lemon drops from the bar and proceeded to watch. Alaska and Monsoon seemed to be the two favorites of the Julia's crowd.

'We've spent the last few weeks [at Julia's] celebrating Miss Jinkx Monsoon,' said DeLaCreme.

Monsoon told patrons that he has been traveling extensively as of late and living out of suitcases.

'It looks like Jinkx Monsoon was brutally murdered in my apartment right now,' said Monsoon. 'There's a thick tone of setting powder all over.'

A GIFT FROM GREY GARDENS
Monsoon just returned from Florida, where a man came up to him after a performance and gave him an inconspicuous brown-wrapped paper parcel that he said he'd won in an auction. With no idea what the package might contain, Jinkx hesitantly opened it to find a housecoat once owned by Little Edie herself.

'What made you choose Grey Gardens?' asked one of the patrons during a short Q&A, referring to Monsoon's impersonation of the late Edith 'Little Edie' Bouvier Beale in the 'Snatch Game' competition.

The response was twofold. 'Edie was an anachronism,' said Monsoon, adding that he could very much identify with that quality. The second reason he gave was that he'd been working on his Edie impersonation since he was 17 and felt confident of his ability to improvise in the persona.

The audience was eager for commentary after watching Monsoon's chat with Michelle Visage.

'It was very nerve-wracking ... there's a very, very specific kind of middle ground in the challenges involving Ru so heavily,' Monsoon told the audience. 'I was very excited but very, very nervous. In our walkthrough, I can tell you I was sweating bullets.'

After the exchange between Monsoon and Andrews, the two hosts got serious for a moment and philosophized that perhaps historically, cattiness might have been a necessary survival mechanism in the earlier days of drag. There's an expectation for a drag queen to be catty [still],' said DeLaCreme.

'The whole argument that we had really came out of left field,' said Monsoon, who considers himself a 'humble September Virgo.'

'The editors [of Drag Race] make Jinkx out to be sweet and compassionate,' said DeLaCreme, lightening the mood. 'She is nothing like that.'

SAFE FOR ANOTHER WEEK
As Ru's roast proceeded, Monsoon of course received the loudest applause and Alaska seemed to be very well received once again. Coco Montrese's winning performance was likewise a highlight for the crowd.

Of the mediocre performances, Monsoon compared them to a car wreck: 'entertaining for the wrong reasons.' Monsoon was quite surprised by Leslie Jordan's final words - he hadn't been privy to the 'master comedienne' compliment and was very gracious about it, 'regardless if it was by Leslie Jordan.'

The audience seemed to expect Monsoon would do fine in the competition, but nonetheless grew very excited when their hometown hero was told he was 'safe.' Conversely, they seemed not too fond of Ru's decision to keep Roxxxy Andrews in the game as well.

Monsoon hosts the viewing parties at Julia's on Broadway every week. Naturally, Monsoon's presence makes Julia's a hard place to beat for watching RuPaul's Drag Race here in Seattle. There's no cover, and seating is first-come, first-served. Julia's suggests coming in around 7 p.m., because once the restaurant reaches capacity, the doors close.

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