Interview "Every now and then you run into a kindred spirit, as I did when I was getting ready to see another show at the Sixth Annual Charm City Fringe Festival."
Darby DeJarnette
Nov 12, 2017
Audio Interview "Gothic Storytelling: Jo Tomalin talks with Dandy Darkly about his Southern background, his family heritage of storytellers – and his latest show Myth Mouth!"
Jo Tomalin
FringeReview San Francisco Fringe
Sept 24, 2017
Review "Myth Mouth is a multi layered show – it’s a wickedly mischievous, creative, joyous, boisterous, lyrical, brash, poetic, funny and entertaining show!"
Jo Tomalin
FringeReview San Francisco Fringe
Sept 23, 2017
Review "An even queenier Rip Torn with a penchant for sequins, wordplay, and revisionist queer history. An hour of outlandish mythmaking. Meticulously hallucinogenic -- challenging."
Justine Hayford
Sept 6, 2017
Review "Spanning from the cautionary through the absurd, these twisted yet entertaining tales continuously tested the levels of my imagination."
Danny Garcia
May 29, 2017
Audio Interview "Neil James Arthur and Dandy Darkly are fantastic. I saw Dandy perform. You should see Myth Mouth."
Nick G
WPRK ORLANDO To A Certain Degree WPRK
May 22, 2017
Review "Each tale is well crafted and intriguing, always building to poignancy. The final twist on Cha Cha’s story made the guy behind me whisper “wow” in reverence."
Trevor Fraser
May 21, 2017
Print Interview "[Neil's] day job is a far cry from the gloriously over-the-top Dandy Darkly persona he’s bringing to the Tampa Fringe, but even over the phone it’s clear a similar mischievous spirit imbues both."
David Warner
May 4, 2017
Print Interview "For someone who can’t be pigeonholed (humorist? playwright? poet? clown? comedian? performance artist? horror writer? LGBT icon?), the phenomenon of nature known to the public as Dandy Darkly is totally distinctive."
Trav S.D.
May 1, 2017
"Dandy Darkly is a thrilling performer -- with his face painted as an evil clown, Dandy could not be any less evil if he tried. To say I was impressed would be an understatement."
Nelson Diaz-Marcano
Oct 20, 2016
"An incredible talent for telling dark tales using wordplay, alliteration, and a sophisticated soundtrack. Dandy's captivating presence commands your attention as this storyteller brings you on journeys through time and space."
Dr. Tom Stevens
Oct 17, 2016
"His narration weaves in and out of verse deftly, recalling the mostly-lost tradition of epic poetry performance. Darkly almost makes you think that it would not be shocking to find the Homer of the 21st century in an East Village basement, wearing styrofoam cones on his shoulders under a silver, form-fitting one-piece."
Michael Landes
Oct 6, 2016
"If you have yet to be seduced by the lilting voice and penetrating presence of this mincing, menacing, alliteration-loving oracle, it’s high time to give in, because “Myth Mouth” is the supernaturally gifted phenom’s strongest, strangest creation yet."
Scott Stiffler
Oct 5, 2016
"There’s a powerful cohesion to [Myth Mouth's] engagement with very different kinds of mythologising, from the primal functions of art and religion to socially and politically motivated misinformation and the magical thinking underpinning personal compulsions. It’s unlike anything else at the Fringe." ★★★★
Ben Walters
The Scotsman
Aug 26, 2016
"Though camp horror retains its central place in Dandy’s stories, Myth Mouth is as much lore as gore. The stories span the whole saga of storytelling from Cha-Cha the Caveman and first storyteller, through a wasted spin on the tale of Persephone, the Greek queen of the underworld, to an even more strung out cosmonaut dog defending the world from the evils of alien cats." ★★★★★
Ricky Brown
Edinburgh Reporter
Aug 1, 2016
"There isn’t a storyteller as engrossing, twisted, or as sequined. Dandy Darkly’s Myth Mouth is a show of mythological brilliance. A master of myth and the duke of the deliciously debauched." ★★★★★
James Waygood
Grumpy Gay Critic
Aug 19, 2016
"Dandy Darkly is a one man storytelling extravaganza -- a psychedelic hour of performance art perfection!"
Simon Arrowsmith
Grow The Story
Aug 15, 2016
"As a storyteller, Darkly is a unique creature. His performance style is rhythmic, hypnotic and entrancing. The original underscore only adds to the experience and the audience quickly tunes into his sinister tales." ★★★★
Frodo Allen
Broadway Baby
Aug 13, 2016
"Darkly’s tales are nuanced, sharp, caustic but humane, layered like an Annie Lennox song (Love Song For A Vampire most likely). Everything he does is about letting stories come to life, alternative takes on pop culture, human (or canine) nature and entertainment. [Myth Mouth] crosses time and space in an effort to explore new ideas of queer legends of tomorrow." ★★★★★
Zander Bruce
Scotsgay Magazine
Aug 9, 2016
"Dandy Darkly is in town with Dandy Darkly’s Myth Mouth!, a free show at CC Blooms. He has no regrets about making his fourth foray to Edinburgh."
Catherine Gerbrands
Interview at The Stage
Aug 4, 2016
"Dandy Darkly is the heart and soul of the Fringe. An utterly unique performer who must be seen to be believed."
Gareth Vile
Interview at The Vile Blog
Aug 1, 2016
"The perfect answer to the problem of what to do with an obsessive/compulsive, super-intelligent polymath."
Sarah McIntosh
Interview at TVBomb.com
Jul 22, 2016
"Returning to the underground lair of mirth will be the sparkling sissy Dandy Darkly in his new show Dandy Darkly’s Myth Mouth!"
Zander Bruce
Preview in Scotsgay Magazine
July, 2016
"Dandy Darkly is enthralling. He is a unique glittery rhinestone rodeo clown. There's a dash of joviality and a spritz of terror."
Michael Black
Theater in the Now
Feb 17, 2016
"Storytelling performance artist Dandy Darkly’s newest work, is a mesmerizingly entertaining, dark-toned foray into social criticism, a post-mortem on a still-living patient: America."
Jay Reisberg
Dusty Wright's Culture Catch
Nov 13, 2015
"Is Darkly a drag queen? Is Darkly a clown? Is Darkly a storyteller? The answer is 'yes'."
Nov 4, 2015
"Dandy Darkly’s wicked confections hide razor sharp social commentary that will terrorize and move you in equal doses."
Rachel Kerry
New York Theater Review
Oct 30, 2015
"Vivid, insightful, incredible, mesmerizing."
Dr. Tom Stevens
Oct 30, 2015
"New York City's preeminent King of Halloween!"
David Clarke
Out Magazine
Oct 29, 2015
"Darkly uses these blood-soaked tales of horror and revenge as a vehicle for his own eccentric brand of social, political, and sexual activism."
Scott Stiffler
Oct 28, 2015
"Neovaudevillian, sexy-creepy ringmaster Dandy Darkly comes out with all guns blazing!" Time Out Critic's Pick.
Oct 21, 2015
"I was terribly tickled by one of the tales in Dandy Darkly’s Trigger Happy!, the latest collection of queerly supernatural satirical stories from the prodigiously loquacious Southern drag clown."
Ben Walters
NotTelevision.net
Sept 3, 2015
"Darkly’s warm and well timed, hypnotic and erotic prose leaves the audience enthralled from the get go. ... Behind the painted smile lies an absolute raw talent that shines throughout the performance." ★★★★
Ruth Galley
Aug 24, 2015
"For all the fantastic phantasmagoria, Dandy's stories are increasingly grounded in a very real world." ★★★★★
Ricky Brown
Edinburgh Reporter
Aug 19, 2015
"Mr James is performing Dandy Darkly’s Trigger Happy!, a show he describes as 'musings on guns, PTSD, hypersensitivity and good ol’ American hypocrisy'."
Nick Clark
Aug 15, 2015
"Simply one of the most thoughtful, hilarious and harrowing queer talents at work today." ★★★★★
Zander Bruce
Aug 12, 2015
"Bizarre and irreverent. Incredible and mesmerizing." ★★★★
Frodo Allan
Aug 12, 2015
"Rock-poet dismantles the American dream -- mesmerizing in his rawness and realism." ★★★★
Arnoud Breitbarth
Aug 11, 2015
"A scathing indictment of contemporary American society ... and somehow there’s a star-spangled glimmer of hope." ★★★★★
Sarah McIntosh
Aug 9, 2015
"The most jubilantly camp, twisted, and gob-smackingly unique prose performances out there." ★★★★★
James Waygood
Aug 8, 2015
"BANGBANG! A disco juggalo version of Annie Oakley!"
Webcowgirl
Aug 8, 2015
"Southern sissy-clown storyteller puts dainty doggerel to deliciously devastating effect."
Ben Walters
Not Television
Aug 8, 2015
"Blends performance, storytelling and music into a dynamic and immersive theatrical experience. Funny, morbid, topical, poetic and haunting."
Robin Gray
Jul 27, 2015
"There is nothing in all of creation quite like this swishy storyteller with a taste for blood, a sick sense of justice and an affinity for alliteration."
Scott Stifler
Jul 23, 2015
"Dandy Darkly is absolutely the fusion of both those influences. High camp mixed with ghost stories. 'I've found my own unique way to honor traditional storytelling. I love it. Likewise I'm influenced heavily by pop culture, reality television, blockbuster films, tabloids and situation comedies. I see these influencers as our modern day folk mythology.'"
Gareth Vile
Jul 22, 2015
"Macabre queer storyteller Dandy Darkly offers an encore of his collection of camp horror tales."
Mark Dommu
July 1, 2015
"New York City's "rapid-fire raconteur of sex and death" returns to Edinburgh with a brand new show, where it’s fair to say he’s decidedly Trigger Happy!"
Paul F. Cockburn
June 22, 2015
"Dandy Darkly sets himself apart easily from other storytelling shows."
Valerie Cardinal
February 24, 2015
"Dandy Darkly regaled us with the story of two Sapphic nursing home residents finding love in advanced age. If you’ve never seen Dandy perform, you must. There is nothing out there like it. His rhythmic storytelling takes you on a
journey from light to dark and back to the light again." ★★★★★
John Hernandez
February 22, 2015
"After performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013 "this young lady came up to me and said that I was celebrating the murder of women, and that I was a misogynist,” Darkly explains. His response? “No! No! I celebrate the murder of everyone!”"
David Clarke
February 20, 2015
"Dandy Darkly shares campy tales of horror with a message about gay misogyny."
Mark Dommu
Feb 19, 2015
"The satiric cabaret-style storyteller tells four deliciously grim tales that muse on misogyny in the horror genre, and among some gay men, with wicked alacrity and wit.."
Hanna McCarthy
February 18, 2015
"A decidely wicked storyteller."
Steven McElroy
February 11, 2015
"Spotlight On...Dandy Darkly."
Michael Block
February 6, 2015
"Dandy is straight from a 23rd century gig in a Star Wars cantina."
Tom Stevens
January 13, 2015
"Winter Theater Festivals in New York City 2015. Dandy Darkly's Pussy Panic! at the Frigid Festival."
Jonathan Mandell
January 3, 2015
"Cabaret master creates a lyrical paradise."
Ashley Rouen
November 22, 2014
"Dandy Darkly’s Pussy Panic is a serious-minded show steeped in cattiness, absurdity and gore. Whatever you do, do go down into the cellar." ★★★★★
Ricky Brown
Aug 11, 2014
"Pale, portly and foppish in a rococo ensemble of white, cream and yellow, Darkly could pass for a millefeuille pastry with a moustache and miniature top hat. His manner is shriekingly camp – a self-conscious throwback to an outmoded type of waspish wit – but the prickly persona is the vehicle for stories of gruesomely compelling verve." ★★★★
Ben Walters
August 6, 2104
"Unsettling, hilarious and political, Dandy Darkly's Pussy Panic is a searing critique of queer culture, celebrity obsession and misogyny." ★★★★
Kaite Welsh
August 4, 2014
"Darkly is exactly what we need – a celebration of our campest, creepiest selves." ★★★★★
Zander Bruce
August 4, 2014
"Unfortunately, satire is long gone. Like a library bathroom glory hole, satire has been walled over, white washed, sold to developers and made into an American Apparel. The library is closed, ladies and gentlemen."
Dandy Darkly (Guest Essayist)
July 23, 2014
"With Dandy Darkly following in so many performers footsteps to maintain Edinburgh Fringe's world wide reputation for being the grandfather of all Fringe festivals -- from New York to Edinburgh -- Dandy Darkly's Pussy Panic is unmissable."
Niger Asije
July 21, 2014
"Doing justice to 'Dandy Darkly’s Pussy Panic' is a tough assignment. Attired as an insane clown with overtones of an ancient burlesque/music hall performer (with all the antiquated gestures, poses, and vocal gesticulations), he told/proclaimed a complex, but surprising lucid fantasy-nightmare scenario with relentless non-stop intensity."
Jay Reisberg
July 7, 2014
"I simply love Provincetown, and Bear Week is one of my favorite times of the year! It’s a chance for all of us to stand tummy to tummy and discover whether bear, otter, cub or manatee – we are a brawny brotherhood despite where we call home. That said, here is Dandy Darkly’s Grizzly Fun Guide for anyone visiting Provincetown for the Week of the Bear!"
Dandy Darkly (Guest Essayist!)
July 1, 2014
"Campy occultist spins hilarious tales of sex and death."
Stephanie Fernandez
June 30, 2014
"White frosting with eatable pearls – faster than a speeding bullet – a vaginal wonderland."
Alice Jane Klugherz
June 29, 2014
"Dandy Darkly: ghost stories, female genitalia and a macabre obsession with death and comedy.."
Rachel Cunliffe
June 24, 2014
"The night took a one-eighty as Dandy Darkly took to the stage."
Chris Hernandez
June 19, 2014
"Flamboyant rococo campery, Southern sissy charm, fairy-tale grotesquery and hugely accomplished storytelling in rhyming doggerel. Unique and transporting."
Ben Walters
June 3, 2014
"Done in the approved Art Star manner, [Dandy Darkly's Kiss Beneath the Camel Toe!] was loose as a goose, intimate, spontaneous, irreverent and nasty and made me homesick for the old Surf Reality and Collective Unconscious days. Is there a regular home for this kind of show now?"
Trav S.D.
December 15, 2013
"I settle myself at my Ouija board. The Ouija planchette furiously flies into motion.
F-I-N-G-E-R / M-Y / A-S-S-H-O-L-E / Y-O-U / C-O-C-K-S-U-C-K-E-R
Paul Lynde is contacting me from beyond the grave!"
Dandy Darkly (Guest Essayist)
October 31, 2013
"The passing of 365 days hasn’t diluted our assessment of Mr. Darkly’s compelling and original synthesis of humor, horror and graphic smut. It’s the direct result, his creator notes, of growing up absorbing the rich tradition of southern gothic storytelling, during an era when AIDS infused gay identity with a very real sense of danger."
Scott Stiffler
October 30, 2013
"I managed to see [Dandy Darkly] in a basement cabaret bar in Edinburgh this past August. As a gay man, it tickled me. As a human being, it kicked the shit out of me. If you are in New York and have the chance to see this…do it. You won’t regret it.."
Barry Church-Woods
October 14, 2013
"Dandy Darkly is... Scaring Bears!"
David Goodman
October 1, 2013
"Haunting and hypnotic." ★★★★★
Kayleigh Sparks
August 26, 2013
"Fantastical fairytale horror, equal parts Tennesse Williams, Edgar Allen Poe and Bruce La Bruce, with a dash of Brothers Grimm for good measure. Richly macabre and pointedly satirical imaginative landscapes unlike anything else at the Fringe, or indeed elsewhere." ★★★★
August 20, 2013
"Hypnotic storyteller. Witty and deliciously dark. How ghost stories should be told." Must See!
Honour Bayes
August 15, 2013
"After a hour-long one-man feat of endurance, in which carefully scripted alliterative allure and rhyme — both internal and outré — are matched to a funhouse of horrors cabaret soundtrack, Dandy Darkly builds to a shuddering, juddering climax of orgiastic transgression before sending his audience home.." ★★★★
Ricky Brown
The Edinburgh Reporter
August 6, 2013
"Audience members were handed mini flashlights to train on Dandy as he spun elaborately rhythmic and alliterative story/poems, one of which was about the Stonewall Rebellion."
July 17, 2013
"Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2013 Our Top LGBTQ Picks"
Alex Exeter
July 15, 2013
"The Clown Un_Mask – Dandy Darkly / Neil Arthur James, New York City."
Jim R. Moore
April 15, 2013
"Performer profile. What to say about my new friend, Dandy Darkly?"
Andrew Altenburg
March 29, 2013
"Capering around the stage in ghost-white face makeup, striped stockings, gaudy jewelry and a woefully undersized hat that, like its host-seems firmly rooted yet in perpetual danger of going over the edge, Dandy Darkly is a sardonic, sinister, supernaturally sissified sight to behold."
Scott Stiffler
October 29, 2012
"Equal parts humorist, horror writer, queer fiction author, and gesture-based steampunk clown, Dandy Darkly is unlike anyone you have ever seen before, and yet so completely RIGHT.."
Trav SD
September 10, 2012
"A Gothic, gay monologist."
Alix Cohen
July 22, 2012
"One of the more interesting things I've done here in Provincetown was attending a show by performance artist Dandy Darkly under the infamous Dick Dock."
Joe Jervis
July 15, 2012
"Dandy Darkly is sort of like Paul Lynde hosting Creature Double Feature or the guys from The Boys in the Band if they were all zombies.."
Steve Desroches
October 26, 2011
Background Image Rolando Sepulveda II OUTsider Arts Festival 2018