Monét x Change Brings Warmth and Humor With New Show LIFE BE LIFIN at Joe's Pub

Monét x Change has garnered many fans from her previous work, which includes television (RuPual’s Drag Race), podcasting (the GLAAD-media-award-winning Sibling Rivalry, as well as Monét Talks), a one-woman live show (Call Me By Monét), and music ranging from R&B to opera. Audiences will find a lot to enjoy from her new touring one-woman show, Life Be Lifin, whether or not they were already familiar with her work. On stage, Monét is quick-witted, funny, and charming. She weaves between major experiences in her life, reflecting and finding humor throughout the tales of romantic relationships, personal and professional growth, and the life of a RuGirl. She’s also a trained opera singer, a unique distinction among drag performers. She uses the story of her learning a song as a framing device for the show, providing a subject she periodically returns to in such a way as to provide narrative cohesion.

The show chronologically goes through stages of her life, from middle school to recent times. Monét makes excellent use of act-outs as a standup technique, showing a real skill for performing the joke as well as telling it. She gets quite personal, thoughtfully discussing some embarrassing and vulnerable moments. Throughout, she maintains the demeanor of someone who has made peace with herself, and learned to roll with the punches. She hilariously describes her grade school experience, touching on youthful crushes, unexpected experiences, and early performances. There’s an extended bit where she plays both sides of a conversation between herself and an unlikely male friend, and it’s a delight to witness her ability to shift her body language and voice in order to play both characters seamlessly, a delightfully funny gendered performance. She pulls a genuinely heartwarming moment out of the story, and then wraps it up with a well-crafted act-out that drew a big laugh from the audience. 

She riffs about her childhood love of Britney Spears, which her family even encouraged by taking her to the mall to buy the singer’s merchandise after church. Time is devoted to her experiences at music college, where she learned to embrace herself and come out of the closet, partially through late night karaoke, in the unfamiliar setting of New Jersey. 

She describes the imposed isolation of Drag Race, a show she has been on three times, and her experience winning All-Stars Season 4 in 2019. She riffs about some major moments in her career, including the infamous sponge dress and her distinction of being the first trained opera singer to compete on the show. Overall, Monét posits it as a rewarding yet draining endeavor - the kind of thing she’s glad to have done, but wouldn’t do again. She goes into how her fame impacted her life and the relationship she was in around that time. This section of the show is a bit more intimate, and she adjusts the performance to reflect that, relying on more straightforward narrative stand-up. However, there’s still a few act-outs included at the right moment, all of which land nicely. 

Above all else, Monét is an incredibly strong performer. She is quite good at this, and she knows it. Her talent makes Life be Lifin an engaging experience, appealing to established fans and newcomers alike. 

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Monét x Change is bringing “Life Be Lifin” on tour in January-February 2025. Tickets and tour dates are available on her website: MonetXChange.com

Find more upcoming shows at Joe's Pub on their website.

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