Jinkx Monsoon to play Judy Garland in END OF THE RAINBOW in London

Any chance someone on here is seeing this? The merch site doesn’t have everything (like the souvenir program) and I would love to arrange something if possible! 

PLEASE bring this to NYC

Your friends' takeaway was that because they don't have replicas of Judy's actual wardrobe, the performance fails? Looking at the released production photos and b-roll, yeah they're not duplicates of what she wore but they're clearly within her style and aesthetic vocabulary. 

For what it's worth, Jinkx seems to be getting pretty strong reviews while the play itself is being criticized (which isn't surprising, since it was criticized when it debuted as well). 

Updated On: 5/24/26 at 10:56 AM

Weird that one thinks the success of this play hinges on the accuracy of Judy Garland's....wardrobe.

Though only looking at clips I thought that there were some weird choices in there.

I caught the show last week and enjoyed it quite a bit. 

In regards to the costumes, I can't say I noticed that they weren't replicas of Judy Garland's wardrobe, but I suppose if that is a production element that excites you, then I understand the disappointment.

My thoughts:

- Jinkx is wonderful in this, the evening I saw it, there were some vocal problems, at first I thought maybe the voice cracks during the songs were a choice, then in the second act during "Come Rain or Come Shine" it became apparent that it was not a choice and there were moments the orchestra helped play some notes under her to help support and disguise the fact that she wasn't there vocally. I'm fairly certain at one point she quit singing (but mouthed the words) and the horn section took on the notes she wasn't singing. It didn't bother me really as I know Judy's voice at this time in her life was not in tip top shape. My concern is for the health of Jinkx's voice, at times it sounds like she was pushing it, but I know she's a professional and hoping she's taking the necessary precautions off stage to ensure vocal health. 

- There were sparse moments when all of the elements came together (a facial expression, movement, or stance) and I felt like I was watching Judy perform. Other times, I was grinning because it was so cool to see Jinkx show a side of herself that we've not seen before. She excels at the comedic moments, no surprise, but also broke my heart in the dramatic scenes. 

- The show itself was not my favorite. After reading Liza's memoir, I couldn't help but understand why she's so protective of her mother's legacy and understood why she may have qualms with other people telling the story. There were moments that seemed a bit sensationalist and I wondered how accurate some of this was. I may have actually preferred the Renee Zellweger movie over the show. 

- I don't know how many times they had to remind us that the accompanist character is gay. It felt like every time he spoke it was in regards to "reminder, I'm gay and I like men." After a certain point my friend who I was with turned to me as a joke and said "do you think he's gay? I can't really tell." That being said, the actor playing him was lovely and so sincere, it felt like he was the only one who truly cared about Judy and her well being. 

- The set was minimal but effective, but at some points, I wanted a practical set. I'm curious what the plans are for this production, if they'll continue to tweak and evolve it for future productions elsewhere. I'm not sure I'd pay NYC prices to see this, so I'm glad I saw it in London and paid pennies for a great seat in the house. 

- The theater this was in is absolutely gorgeous and fairly easy to navigate. The only thing that I thought could have been better is the merch table/line. I was able to snag a souvenir program (I HAD to take the stereotypical program/stage photo from my seat!) before the show with just a couple of minutes to spare before the show started. During intermission and after the show, the line was extremely long. 

Overall, I felt like I was seeing a canon moment for the queer community surrounded by gays who wanted nothing more than to see Jinkx Monsoon succeed, and based on the response from the audience the evening I was there, and talking to several people who saw the production as well, I think Jinkx is a bonafide star and she only proved to the theater community she's a serious force of nature who is going to put in the work for any production she is in. 

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars. 

I was wondering the same thing, at least an Off-Broadway run must be in the cards.

DrMonicaDeMoneco said: "hak5 said: "Do we think this will transfer to Broadway?"

I hope not.https://trib.al/PttMVLy"

Conservative tabloid from TERF Island doesn't like a Play starring a trans woman - Film at 11.