International starlet of stage and screen Alaska Thunderfuck will be giving audiences a holly jolly good time with her brand-new holiday production, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Alaska…A Christmas Show.
Gather around the open fire and join the drag superstar and her longtime musical collaborator, Jeremy Mikush, in a heartwarming evening of story and song that will melt your heart, as well as the polar ice caps. This production promises to be a magical, fun night full of traditional classics, not-so-holiday tunes, and yuletide tomfoolery.
The tour begins in Seattle on December 6, and will travel to 11 cities including Chicago, San Francisco, and Toronto.
Instinct caught up with Alaska to talk more about this holiday extravaganza and other projects.
Hi, Alaska! Let me begin by asking, how excited are you to go on tour with your new holiday show, It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Alaska?
I’m looking forward to it! The show is really coming together and becoming a thing, so I can’t wait to show it off.
Remind me, is this your first solo Christmas show?
No. My best friend Jeremy and I have been doing Christmas cabaret shows for years, and we’ve always loved doing it. We always make it our goal to do as little actual Christmas music as possible, so we sort of take the opportunity to do music that we love that we’ve always been wanting to do, so that’s what we’re doing.
So, what can audiences expect from It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Alaska?
They can expect beauty, elegance, and music, but like I said, very little Christmas music.
Is there anything you ultimately hope they take away from this set?
I just hope they like it, but if they want to be depressed, that’s fine too. It’s their choice.
There are a lot of Drag Race queens doing holiday shows, such as Ben DeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon and Jackie Cox and Jan Sport. How are you hoping your production is different and stands out?
Um, I’m not really sure how it’s going to be different. I mean, it might be exactly the same, and that’s fine. I think we all just do our own sort of thing, and that’s great. Go see all our shows.
Is there a certain part of It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Alaska that is your absolute favorite?
Not going to lie, but I really like my clothes. I’d say that’s my favorite part (laughs).
How do you normally spend the holidays? Are you usually working, or do you like to take some time off, spend it with family or friends, etc.?
It depends. I was in Australia this year for Thanksgiving, but for Christmas, I like to go home if I can. And home for me is in Pennsylvania, so it’s usually very snowy. Getting there can be quite difficult, but it’s worth it.
What were the holidays like for you growing up, and is there a specific memory that you will forever cherish?
We didn’t have a lot of money when I was a kid, but somehow, my parents always turned out Christmas with whatever they did. I don’t know if it was layaway, but our Christmases were fierce. I honestly don’t know how they did. I remember we got a cat once, and it was in its carrier underneath the tree. We were like, something’s moving!
There are many LGBTQ+ people who struggle during this time of year. What advice can you offer them?
Listen, I think a lot of people struggle. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the LGBTQ+ rainbow or not, but I think it’s important to not buy into the expectations of the holiday season. Like, there’s the expectation that you have spend a lot of money. There’s the expectation that you have to be happy and joyful. You don’t have to do any of that. You don’t have to by anybody any fucking gifts. You don’t have to be joyous. If you don’t want to do anything, that’s okay. Do what you want to do.
You’ve had a couple other big projects happen this year, like your 2016 Poundcake album being issued on vinyl for the very first time. Can you tell us more about that?
Yeah, that was very exciting. They wanted to do an issue of it because it never got a chance to be on vinyl. So, I was like, sure! Let’s do it, and the response was fantastic. We sold them all very fast. They looked really cool.
Are you currently working on any new music?
Maybe (laughs).
I was also excited to see that you released your fragrance, Red for Filth. Is it similar to the one you made while on Drag Race?
This smells way better because, I mean, the fragrance on Drag Race was just us mixing oils, and then Alyssa Edwards spilled the oils all over the table. So, we worked with what we had, but this fragrance was made by brilliant scientists, and they incorporated a lot of smells that I wanted in it. I wanted lilac because that’s my favorite flower from when I was growing up, and there’s also this sort of leather element, which was kind of what was on the show. They also isolated the smell of cocaine. I really wanted a hint of it, and they were somehow able to isolate that and put it in there. So, it’s really good.
How long did it take to perfect it?
We went back and forth a few times. They would send me some options, and I’d be like, I want a little more of this and a little less of that. Let’s try that. We did that until we landed on it.
Sounds like the perfect holiday gift.
Oh, totally! And my mom approved it. That’s when I knew I had gotten it right.
Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?
No, I don’t think so. I believe we covered it all!
Follow Alaska: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok
Click HERE for more information and to purchase tickets for It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Alaska.
