The Toronto Theatre Review: The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show

By Ross

The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show returned to Toronto like a glitter-dusted snowstorm of chaos, sequins, and unexpected sincerity for the eighth time, if you can believe it. And from the very first moments, when the audience is greeted by an unhinged video Christmas tree host who seems to have escaped from a parallel-universe children’s special decorated with more horror show puns than one can imagine, the night announces itself as proudly absurd and completely ridiculous. The vibe is pure holiday fever dream: part pageant, part satire, and part warm hug from two queens who understand that the season is often equal parts magic and murderous meltdown.

This year’s narrative unfolds through four hilariously deranged holiday tales, each more unwrapped and unhinged than the last. Jinkx (Broadway’s Pirates!) and DeLa (BenDeLaCreme’s Inferno-a-Go-Go) lean all the way into the madness, spinning these mini-epics with a mix of razor-sharp comedic instincts and genuine theatrical skill, backed by five talented and hilarious dancers, and one hunky elf helper just waiting to multiply. The beauty of their shtick is that even when things get ridiculous, and they frequently do, the performances stay hilariously grounded in character, timing, and a shared delight in outdoing each other’s chaos.

The musical elements may be the night’s stealth superpower. Familiar holiday songs reappear, but not as you’ve ever heard them: lyrics are retooled, twisted, and turned into weapons of leatherbound camp and kink. The audience gets swept into a wacky world where high kicks, puns, and filth coexist with perfect harmony. And as always, the production values are no afterthought. Costumes gleam, videos crackle with wit, and choreography snaps into place with Broadway-grade discipline hiding behind comedic abandon. And we can’t get enough.

What lingers, though, is the show’s heart, regardless of how hidden. Underneath the glitter and the carnage, Jinkx and DeLa tap into the strange mix of loneliness, bitterness, joy, dread, and hope that defines the holiday season for many of us. Their comedy becomes a form of connection, a reminder that chosen family and shared laughter can cut through even the bleakest December night. They may skewer every tradition in sight, but the result is a celebration, gift wrapped in the most raucous, irreverent, and unexpectedly restorative wrapping paper one can imagine. Now go, save the dolls from destruction.