Stage/Comedy

Who: Jinkx Monsoon
Where: Berczy Park
When: Sun., Sept. 23
Vibe: Singing show tunes in the street
Highlight: Closing the show with an epic cover of Life on Mars
Rating: NNNN (out of 5)

ON DAY 4 of the Just for Laughs Toronto festival, I finally manage to catch one of the free outdoor shows happening in Berczy Park — and better late than never, as it’s the last one. Sunday’s headliner is Jinkx Monsoon, who was apparently booked at the last minute. Initial press releases from Just for Laughs mentioned Fred Armisen and Reggie Watts for the weekend-long street festival, but Sunday’s closer was still TBD. Enter The Queen of All Queens, who says she answered, “Why the fuck not?” when she received the last-minute invitation.

Along with her pianist, Major Scales, Jinkxy opens with a jazzy, swing cover of Give it Away by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. She shares some big news with the audience: she just got married, she has a date with Dr. Who — she’s scheduled for a “significant” role in the British sci-fi series — and, most excitingly of all, she recently made her Broadway debut in a production of Chicago, as if her natural stage presence and powerful voice weren’t enough evidence of her musical theatre bona fides.

While performing a song called I Never Do Anything Twice — well, maybe there’s one thing, though she never explicitly mentions RuPaul’s Drag Race by name — she has to briefly pause for a helicopter flying overhead, and then briefly forgets the words. These minor blips take nothing away from the show as Monsoon is clearly having at least as much fun as the audience.

There is some friction, though. She references binge-watching TV during the pandemic and says she has no idea what TV shows Canadians were watching, and then is surprised to learn from an audience member that Schitt’s Creek is actually Canadian. Later, she mentions learning that Montreal is the gay porn capital of the world, seemingly expecting the audience to be pleased a Canadian city has that distinction, only for the Toronto crowd to jealousy murmur over being second best.

The biggest gaffe comes while she is discussing the very real and frightening persecution of non-binary and trans folk currently happening in her country. Sadly, it’s a reference that echoes worrying headlines north of the border, too; transphobic protests were occurring across the country only a week ago, though, encouragingly, those hate-fuelled rallies were met by even larger counter-protests seeking to protect trans kids and trans rights. On this subject, though, Jinkx confesses she has no idea what’s happening politically in Canada, aside from how she wants to fuck Justin Trudeau; “Sorry, that was crass — I want to be fucked by Justin Trudeau.” It’s a bit of American ignorance of the sad parallels between the two countries, and the right-wing politicians exploiting transphobic hate from Ontario to Florida, endangering the lives and safety of trans kids in the process.

Monsoon doesn’t end the show with any punchlines — instead, she simply performs an absolutely killer cover of David Bowie’s Life on Mars. No wacky lyrics, no visual gags, just a truly powerful performance about feeling disillusioned with the state of the world that knocks it — literally — out of the park.

Walking home along Front Street, I’m stopped by security. They tell me I’ll have to find another way back to Union Station; the stage crew has blocked off the sidewalk and is hurriedly tearing down the stage, removing any trace of the block party that has occupied Berczy Park all weekend. It’s a race to clear the street in time for Monday morning rush hour, and the waves of suburban commuters who will soon flooding into downtown to cause snarling gridlock.

By this point, I am one of the only festivalgoers still hanging around. The crowd that just watched Jinkx Monsoon perform has already raced away, grabbing drinks or a quick bite to eat before heading to Comedy Bar on Bloor to catch the late-night “Alternative Show” with Mark Forward, or the “Midnight Madness” show happening in that venue’s smaller Cabaret room.

I have nowhere to be. Both shows have been sold out for weeks; each was a popular choice for passholders to spend their valuable credits on.