Jinkx Monsoon

**SPEAKER_1** (0:01)
Bullseye with Jesse Thorn is a production of maximumfun.org and is distributed by NPR.

**Jesse Thorn** (0:22)
It's Bullseye. I'm Jesse Thorn.
Now, I don't think I'm being too controversial when I say this. To play Oh Mary can't miss lately. In case you haven't heard, Oh Mary tells the story of Mary Todd Lincoln and the days running up to the death of her husband Abraham Lincoln. But this Mary Todd Lincoln is not the historical Mary Todd Lincoln, like the Mary Todd Lincoln from reality or even history books. This Mary Todd Lincoln is a frustrated cabaret performer, a very intense alcoholic, a very dumb, also sweet person who wears giant Looney Tunes style bloomer underwear with hearts on it. The show was written by Cole Escola, who originally played the lead part as well. Cole received a Tony Award for their performance in the show. Oh Mary's director Sam Pinkleton won the Tony as well. After playing Mary for the better part of a year, Cole passed along the hoop skirt and curly wig to a number of performers who, I mean, it has just been an incredible murderers row of geniuses in this part. Titus Burgess, Megan Stalter, Maya Rudolph, Betty Gilpin, Jane Krakowski, John Cameron Mitchell, and my guest, Jinkx Monsoon. When I talked with Jinkx last year, she just started performing in the show on Broadway. Now that show is taken to the road and Monsoon is set to make debut on London's West End this August at the Trafalgar Theatre. In addition to all that, Jinkx is one of the world's top drag performers. She won RuPaul's drag race twice. She's appeared in Broadway productions for Little Shop of Horrors and Chicago.
Look, there is, I mean, maybe other than Cole, nobody better than Jinkx Monsoon to play a part as unhinged and endearing as that of Mary Todd Lincoln. Me and Jinkx Monsoon, let's get right into it.
Jinkx, welcome to Bullseye. I am so happy to have you on the show.

**Jinkx Monsoon** (2:24)
Thank you for having me.

**Jesse Thorn** (2:28)
I got to tell you, I saw Cole Escola in this show.

**Jinkx Monsoon** (2:33)
Yeah, me too.

**Jesse Thorn** (2:37)
Cole Escola is really something else, and I would be terrified to be taking on any role that Cole had originated.

**Jinkx Monsoon** (2:47)
Yeah, there's a little terror there, but the terror is exciting. I've known Cole a long time, and Cole is a singular performer, and in my opinion, the funniest person alive right now.
I studied Cole's performance, and then I did everything I could to forget about it. I saw Cole perform it multiple times, starting off Broadway at the Lortel, and then when I signed on for the role, I was given a video to watch for the blocking and to help with everything, and so I watched Cole perform the role over and over and over. I just knew, okay, so that's what Cole did, and then I went and saw Titus, and I was like, okay, so that's what Titus did, and I never went in thinking, okay, I have to outdo anyone, I just have to bring my version of it, and the more I lean into what I can bring uniquely to it, the less people are going to worry about how it compares to someone else's performance because they're just going to see a new unique performance. If I were trying to recreate Cole's performance, then you'd probably notice some glaring issues.

**Jesse Thorn** (4:19)
Can I ask you a specific follow-up here?

**Jinkx Monsoon** (4:22)
Yeah.

**Jesse Thorn** (4:23)
You mentioned the blocking. Does the blocking remain the same here?

**Jinkx Monsoon** (4:28)
Yeah. The important blocking does, as in the crucial essential blocking for lights and for key moments in the show, that everyone depends on, so everyone can do their job in correspondence to those moments. There's sound cues and wardrobe and everything. But lest we forget Sam Peacleton won a Tony for the direction of this show.
Honoring the blocking and honoring that is honoring Sam's work as well. If we came in like a wrecking ball and just undid it, then that's not a wrecking ball that has the Tony right now. You know what I mean?

**Jesse Thorn** (5:19)
Jinkx, that said, I'm glad you brought up wrecking balls because I'll be frank in the two versions of the show that I have seen, the blocking is not unlike a wrecking ball. I mean, that character flings herself around the stage in an absolutely bonkers manner. And Cole, I mean, they're little and dainty. You know what I mean? It's like dropping an ant off the Empire State Building and it won't get hurt when it hits the ground.