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Mega pop tours are winding down their massive summer productions. Singers spent the hottest months breezing through their greatest hits and new classics, styled and supported by a small army. They revitalized local economies left in their wake. These cultural juggernauts are often adored in the LGBTQ+ community for their artistry and advocacy, no matter how they identify.
Beyoncé. Taylor Swift. And now, Jinkx Monsoon.
Monsoon’s newest concert revue, Everything at Stake, crosses its North American tour’s finish line in their hometown on Aug. 14 at the Keller Auditorium. Everything at Stake casts a spell using standup comedy, drag and a full rock band to fight against the country’s extremists passing anti-transgender legislation and weakening reproductive health care. But Everything at Stake couldn’t be a dry sermon—not if you’ve heard Monsoon’s humor, anyway. Monsoon is joined by their frequent collaborator, Seattle writer-performer Major Scales, and a cast of video guests, including fellow RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Ben Delacreme.
Monsoon barely needs introduction as Portland’s greatest drag star since the late Darcelle. Jerick Hoffer, the actor and singer behind Monsoon, long ago made their name beyond the bar-and-club drag scene. Hofer showed a generation of dolls how to walk the path forward into theater, music and TV careers while staying true to their instincts. Now they’re showing another one what happens when artists put in the long hours to hone their crafts. Hofer seems in their prime as their music and acting careers explore fresh yet familiar new ground, like their role in the new Doctor Who season this fall.
The twice-crowned Drag Race champion wrote and performed original theatrical comedies and Broadway diva albums with Scales throughout the decade between their coronations. Those musicals kept Monsoon’s vocal and comedic skills sharp, priming her for this moment. Monsoon’s undeniably powerful voice lends itself to jazzy cabaret—see their financially record-breaking run in Chicago as Matron “Mama” Morton earlier this year for proof. Monsoon’s underrated EP, last year’s The Virgo Odyssey: Prologue, lays the groundwork for a proposed trio of albums.
The Virgo Odyssey hints at life beyond the bordello with glam rock influence from Queen, David Bowie and the Xanadu soundtrack, and very likely obscure sci-fi concept albums by Rose McGowan and Daphne Guinness. Not very far beyond the bordello—the project’s first music video is set in a futuristic cocktail lounge—but far enough to make audiences imagine the full expanse of Hofer’s vocal range and want more.
Everything at Stake echoes The Virgo Odyssey, looks back on Monsoon’s catalog (including The Inevitable Album and The Ginger Snapped), and sprinkles in pop covers from past shows with Scales. The interlaced comedy takes cues from the passionate point of view Monsoon centers in their streaming special, Red Head Redemption, released this spring to Apple TV and Amazon Prime; and their streaming series Sketchy Queens on the queer-focused platform WOW Presents Plus. Sketchy Queens shows Monsoon and co-writer Liam Krug reviving their dwindling careers in Portland, alongside delusional characters like public access TV host Winderly Landchime.
Hofer lives in the upper echelon of our homegrown heroes pantheon: Matt Groening, Kathleen Hanna and Kaitlin Olson are among those as wonderfully strange and self-determined as they are. The onetime bed and breakfast host knows their worth, evident even with their self-deprecating sense of humor. Hofer sings to the rafters and sticks the landing on their jokes thanks to impeccable timing and delivery. But during the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, Hofer said the entertainment industry at large sees drag artists like Monsoon as interchangeable, like clowns at children’s birthday parties. Everything at Stake once again shows how strong Hofer’s unique voice is when paired with people who understand their vision and give them room to be all of themselves.
Everything at Stake isn’t Monsoon’s plea for mainstream stardom or respect. It’s a musical study of the unapologetic self—one whose refusal to change inspires the people around them to be brave and strong for the better. Hofer knows what marginalized groups like the LGBTQ+ community face in the coming years, and won’t shy away from speaking her mind in the face of a challenge. It’s scary to think how much more boring music and acting would be if people like Hofer dimmed their personality or shied away from their interests.
SEE IT: Jinkx Monsoon: Everything at Stake plays at Keller Auditorium. 222 SW Clay St., 503-248-4335, portland5.com/keller-auditorium. 8 pm Monday, Aug. 14. $52.50.