The Garden State legend known as the Jersey Devil was born some undetermined long-ago, said to be the unwanted 13th child of Mrs. Leeds. Who was Mrs. Leeds and what became of her 12 previous progeny? No one really knows. But the accursed 13th child was declared a devil, with wings and cloven feet, a hooked tail, and an antlered horse head. And in the Pine Barrens it would remain to stalk and hunt “the Pineys” for centuries to come.
But The Devil & Daisy Dirt is a different story. And according to writer/narrator/actor/cryptid enthusiast Alex Dawson, this legend is more in keeping with mama’s meatloaf and pie than old Mrs. Leeds. The four-person musical theater event is a campfire tale of the mysterious and the mystical.
It all began with a fateful trip to Lucille’s Luncheonette in Barnegat, NJ. Following a family trip to Ripley’s Believe It Or Not to see the advertised bones of a genuine Jersey Devil, Dawson, his wife and son found themselves at Lucille’s for lunch… with a side of fresh inspiration.
From the chainsaw-carved Jersey Devil at the entrance, to the “I Ate With The Devil” T-shirts on the staff, Lucille’s Luncheonette was chock full of proud Piney heritage. Dawson knew right then and there that the story that had been simmering on the back burner of his mind was ready to serve.
And he knew just the devil with whom to bargain.
Dan Diana is professional prop fabricator and puppeteer, and Dawson’s longtime friend and creative collaborator. Their Halloween haunts in Dawson’s Highland Park neighborhood were nothing short of legendary, with a 12-foot New Jersey Devil fabricated by Diana that didn’t terrorize the Halloween revelers – it transfixed them. Something was brewing alright.
It wouldn’t be long until Diana got the call — one of many calls over the years from Dawson, excitedly outlining an eventual project whose time had come. And what was birthed from their mutual love for legends and lore was The Devil & Daisy Dirt. “We really see The Jersey Devil as something mythical or magical versus monstrous,” explains Dawson.
When downtrodden diner waitress Daisy Dirt (Jackie Fogel) encounters the winged and wounded beast outside of Lucille’s Luncheonette, she finds herself more fearsome of the clientele than of the creature before her. The men harassing her daily, the desire for something more, and her empathy for this fabled character carries the story beyond the curtain’s closing. Diana’s craftsmanship of the wearable puppet, and his pitiable lumbering performance within the Devil suit pairs perfectly with the determined Daisy who will do anything to save it from villainous poachers, such as Tasty Murder (Dawson), one of many gorging in Lucille’s annual supernatural eating contest “I 8 The Devil.”
Joining Dawson’s narration is the Balladeer, singer-songwriter Arlan Feiles, who summons a high lonesome bluegrass soundscape that elevates the campfire tale to an immersive and surprisingly emotional experience.
Supernatural, bluegrass, southern gothic, piney fireside folktale — Dawson and Diana were initially worried their ideas would be something of a hard sell to audiences. “It’s not unlike a diner menu,” Diana says. “There’s a lot of different things to feed from for an audience. The puppet, the performance, and subverting the preconception of what the Jersey Devil is going to be.”
The four-person troupe behind The Devil & Daisy Dirt have been traveling in true vaudevillian fashion for sold-out performances at breweries, barns, and beyond since 2024. They were slated to retire the show in the Fall of 2025 – that is, until another New Jersey legend caught wind of their act. Following a Weird NJ magazine presentation of the show at Smodcastle Cinemas — the Atlantic Highlands movie house saved from closure by writer/director Kevin Smith — a cryptid alliance was formed. Smith and Smodcastle Cinemas co-owner Ernie O’ Donnell were charmed by the show instantly. “I may make movies, but I also enjoy engaging an audience with the immediacy of live performance; offering them a singular experience that can never be exactly replicated,” Smith (Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks) says, proudly endorsing his NJ brethren. “The Devil & Daisy Dirt does this, while adding an element of the fantastic that’s normally reserved for the silver screen. Give the Devil its due. This is a spectacular show.”
Thanks to the partnership from Weird NJ magazine, Smodcastle Cinemas, and Kevin Smith, The Devil & Daisy Dirt has been sponsored for five more performances at The New Brunswick Performing Arts Center February 20th-22nd.
Along with the dedicated space comes the funds for enhanced visual elements, improvements to the creature design, and a wealth of creative opportunities for Dawson and Diana to conjure more magic into their creation. And with Dawson’s knowledge of the local flora and fauna and his academic underpinning as a folklore writing faculty member at Rutgers University, he’s ready for the challenge. “The Pine Barrens is the biggest expanse of land on the Atlantic seaboard. Of course there’s mystery and wonder in those woods.”
And what happens at the climax of the performance, amidst an intense thunderstorm atop the Apple Pie Hill Fire Tower in the Pine Barrens, is the biggest wonder of all. “Daisy is free from some things,” Dawson explains. “She’s sung of her dreams. We don’t know whether she’ll realize all of them, but there’s possibility, and that’s enough.” And in true murder ballad tradition, Fogel and Felies perform a greasy spoon feminist anthem for the winged but wounded. And it’s the very heart of the story: the tale of a diner waitress and the devil that saved each other.
The Devil & Daisy Dirt is running from Feb 20 – 22 at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. Tickets can be purchased through the NBPAC website.
