Most people know BenDeLaCreme from her iconic self-elimination on the third season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars. But her time on that show is just scratching the surface of this multi-faceted performer and producer’s oeuvre. I caught up with her recently to talk about her touring show, puppets, and the creativity-honing effects of loss.

Thrillist: I’ve seen your show “Ready to Be Committed” twice. Once before the pandemic started and recently this summer. Can you talk about how the show has evolved?

BenDeLaCreme: It was interesting taking all this time off. I premiered the show in New York and Provincetown in 2019, and was going to take it everywhere in the spring. At first it was like, ‘Oh okay I guess we’ll cancel the first few weeks, and then okay, we’ll postpone until next year.’ And it just kept getting pushed back.

Finally going back to the material, you’re sort of like, is this where we are all at now? Is this still going to resonate with anyone else? Is this still going to resonate with me? Am I still passionate about this subject matter? I was ready to go through and figure out not just revamps but really how to reignite my interest in it.

Combing through the script, I realized that this show is still about loneliness, connection, and the fear of mortality. All those things felt even more relevant and immediate to me. I’m grateful I didn’t have to go back in and do a bunch of revamping. It makes you feel like it was hitting on something universal.