There was a lot of addiction and trauma in my family': why Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon plays a perfect Judy Garland

"And yet, she says, when she walks down the street in certain American cities, it is in a state of not knowing if someone's going to recognise me and be excited to see me, or recognise something about me and be hostile. It's a really interesting dichotomy. She lets out a huge laugh. But it also keeps me humble, I gotta say."

"We are backstage at the Soho Theatre in London's Walthamstow, where Monsoon is shortly to appear in End of the Rainbow, Peter Quilter's musical drama about Judy Garland, set in 1969 in the last months of the icon's life. It's a great role for Monsoon, whose impersonation of Garland on Drag Race was so spot-on the clips are still doing the rounds."

"Monsoon, who had a stellar run as Mama Morton in the Broadway production of Chicago three years ago, is increasingly leaning towards dramatic roles and, like Garland herself, is comfortable with the tragi-comic. She's a pillar, and an institution, she says of Garland, in whom she became interested after watching the Wizard of Oz on repeat as a child."

"Should we cast this person from a marginalised demographic?' Yes! Do it Of course. We're all obsessed with her, even if Monsoon was aware of taking a risk by choosing Garland to impersonate on Drag Race an antiquated character to younger audiences. (She also did Natasha Lyonne, to great effect.)"

A drag performer who became widely known after major television wins describes walking through some American cities without knowing whether people will recognize her with excitement or respond with hostility. She frames this contrast as humbling. She is preparing to appear in a musical drama about Judy Garland set in 1969, a role that fits her move toward more dramatic work while still using tragi-comic sensibilities. Her Garland impersonation gained attention through viral clips, and she became interested in Garland as a child. She also notes that choosing an older, antiquated character for younger audiences carries risk, yet she believes marginalized performers should be cast and that audiences remain drawn to Garland.

Read at www.theguardian.com