Growing up a fan of the massive arena pop spectacles of Britney Spears and *NSync, multimedia artist Johnny Darlin has spent hours wondering what his version of this art form would look and sound like. Not quite a musical, not quite a concert, Johnny Darlin: In the Closet is his reckoning with this life-long question.
What follows is an abstract, cerebral retelling of Darlin’s southern Baptist coming out story from first gay celebrity crush of childhood to falling in love for the first time, but broadened by the coming-of-age experiences of the wider queer population. Live music, dance, video projection art, music videos, home videos, monologues, prose, and poetry by both closeted and out LGBTQ people of every type from all over the country take center stage and help relay the story of Johnny Darlin’s modern pop catalog.
The end result is a cohesive, inclusive, yet complicated tale of identity and growth focused on growing up an outsider, secret desires, loves, and awakenings. It infers that everyone has something they’re hiding and begs the question: “What does it take to come out?,” while Johnny Darlin does this exact thing, about everything, once and for all, live on stage.
Writer: Michael Doshier
Music by Johnny Darlin, Francis Steakknife, & Gandor Chorale;
additional writing by The Queer South
Part of FringeNYC 2016
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
SUNDAY 14 @ 12:30 PM
TUESDAY 16 @ 7 PM
WEDNESDAY 17 @ 5:30 PM
WEDNESDAY 24 @ 6 PM
FRIDAY 26 @ 9 PM
