From winning Snatch Game to the stage: Jinkx Monsoon is going to be playing Judy Garland again…
Beloved drag queen and certified Broadway diva Jinkx Monsoon is set to take on the role of Judy Garland for a major revival of the musical End Of The Rainbow. Monsoon will bust out her spot-on Garland impression next spring in London, U.K..
Monsoon’s role as Garland is the latest in a string of high profile musical theatre performances. Since 2023 she has taken on the roles of Matron Mama Morton in Chicago (her Broadway debut), Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, Ruth in Pirates! The Penzance Musical, and most recently Mary Todd Lincoln in Oh, Mary!.
Peter Quilter’s End Of The Rainbow was previously adapted into the 2019 biopic Judy, starring Renée Zellweger, for which she won an Academy Award for Best Actress. This revival of the original stage production of End Of The Rainbow is currently scheduled to open in May 2026 at the Soho Theatre in Walthamstow, London.
“Judy Garland came into my life, like many, through entertainment — but she stays in my life because of her story,” Monsoon said in a statement. “We know all too well, the toll that fame took from her. Looking back, we can see more clearly the many factors that played a part in her storied life.”
Monsoon memorably delivered a hilarious impersonation of Garland in the Snatch Game of All Stars 7. However, she noted in her statement that her approach to playing Garland in End Of The Rainbow will be different.
“I know people know me for impressions and imitations — but I’m thrilled for this chance to explore beyond the laughter and into the heart of why we still think so much about Judy today,” Monsoon explained. “Her tale is one that we can’t forget, especially as women in entertainment are still fighting for autonomy and agency in their own careers. I’m ready to bring new aspects of her story to the stage, and to share what I find so tragically beautiful about her life, with my UK audiences.”
The team behind this new production of End Of The Rainbow in London also issued a statement about Monsoon’s casting:
“Step into the dazzling, bittersweet world of Judy Garland in Peter Quilter’s End Of The Rainbow, reborn in a stunning new production directed by Rupert Hands and starring Broadway sensation and two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner, Jinkx Monsoon, as she takes center stage for a thrilling, heartbreaking and unmissable portrait of one of the greatest performers the world has ever known.”
Rupert Hands is directing this revival of End Of The Rainbow, with musical supervision by Leo Munby, lighting by Prema Mehta, and sound by Tony Gayle. Lambert Jackson is producing with Sean Nyberg and Paul Danforth and Pascal Ultee Productions.
The musical will have a strictly limited run from May 15 through June 21, 2026 at the Soho Theatre Walthamstow, London, UK. A ticket pre-sale will begin December 3 at 10:00am GMT with registration here. General sales begin December 4 at 10:00am GMT at SohoTheatre.com.
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