Avast, ye hearties: two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon could be setting sail for her first Tony nomination.
Monsoon will be starring in Pirates! The Penzance musical (a reimagining of the Gilbert and Sullivan musical The Pirates of Penzance), coming to Broadway in April of 2025. She’ll be playing Ruth, the pirate maid and caretaker of leading man Frederic.
This will mark Monsoon’s third time gracing New York stages on and off-Broadway, having played Matron Mama Morton in Chicago and Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. For the first time, though, Monsoon will be part of an original Broadway cast, making her eligible for the 2025 Tony Awards.
Monsoon celebrated her casting on social media, writing, “If ever there were an unexpected role for me to sink my teeth into… she has EVERYTHING I could want in a character, not to mention a chance to play her from a completely new perspective. The chance to revitalize the classics is something special I am honored to be asked to do.”
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If ever there were an unexpected role for me to sink my teeth into… she has EVERYTHING I could want in a character, not to mention a chance to play her from a completely new perspective. The chance to revitalize the classics is something special I am honored to be asked to do.
— Jinkx Monsoon (@JinkxMonsoon) November 13, 2024
The production itself will also be revitalizing a classic, with Gilbert and Sullivan’s century-old score and book given new life with a jazz-infused, New Orleans-inspired style.
“We want everyone to know that what you’re going to see is a musical that celebrates the genius of Gilbert & Sullivan while taking some joyous liberties,” Scott Ellis, interim artistic director of Roundabout Theatre Company, said in a press release. “The Pirates of Penzance actually premiered in several U.S. cities, including New Orleans, which was a big center for piracy. So, since our pirates have now landed in New Orleans, we’re adapting the title to be both familiar and fresh.”
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Joining Monsoon in the cast are Ramin Karimloo (Pirate King), David Hyde Pierce (Gilbert/Major General Stanley), Nicholas Barasch (Frederic), Preston Truman Boyd (Sullivan/Police Sergeant) and Samantha Williams (Mabel Stanley).
Fans are over the moon to see Monsoon’s interpretation of the role, and they’re already envisioning her name engraved on the Best Supporting Actress in a Musical Tony. “Tony Nominated actor Jinx Monsoon has a great ring to it,” quipped one fan — and we’re inclined to agree.
I’m seated. I’m so seated that the staff at Roundabout is scared and asking me to leave because it’s not April yet but I’m simply too seated
— mary (@elaine_stritch) November 13, 2024
Pirates! The Penzance Musical will begin previews on April 4, 2025, and open officially on April 24, 2025 at the Todd Haimes Theatre. Tickets are available here.
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