Tim Murray turned his love of all the witches of pop culture into a
musical comedy stage show (Photo courtesy of Tim Murray)
JENNY BLOCK | Contributing Writer
jennyeblock@icloud.com
Tim Murray is WITCHES is coming to Dallas. That’s the name of the show and what Murray is in the show — which he calls a mix of stand-up and original comedy songs about his favorite pop culture witches.
“The show is a tribute to LGBTQIA people and how we discover our magic once we find our coven,” Murray explains.
Celebrating famous sorceresses throughout herstory, Murray uses their stories as a parallel to the queer witch hunt — from The Craft to Wicked to the Sanderson Sisters from Hocus Pocus to Sabrina the Teenage Witch to Angelika Houston’s Grand High Witch in The Witches.
Murray has always loved witch pop culture. “Hocus Pocus, The Craft, Sabrina, and especially, Wicked were all part of my favorite lexicon of media,” Murray said, noting that he related to these witches deeply.
“One day I saw my friend Matt Rogers’ Christmas-themed musical comedy show, and it hit me like a ton of bricks that I had been doing stand-up trying to steer away from musical theater but that I could do a combination of both.”
The show continues to evolve, Murray says, explaining that he is adding jokes as time goes on. But the songs remain the same as last year’s version.
“The first run I did at Edinburgh Fringe had a completely different song about how I don’t care about Harry Potter, but that was later replaced by a song about how much I love Ursula,” Murray says.
And “The original version, just before fringe, used to have a song about caregiver witches, highlighting the aunts from Sabrina and the fairies from Sleeping Beauty,” he says. That song is no more.
Murray says audience responses have been equal parts overwhelming and amazing. “The people who come to the show are so down to laugh, and I think because it’s so specific, people just lose their minds for it,” Murray says. “I’m so proud of that and so honored that they want to have a blast with me!”
Plus, he says, the show has started to appeal to more and more people.
“Five straight guys who just love standup stumbled into the show in London, and, afterwards, they were so kind,” Murray says. “They said it was the hardest they’ve ever laughed at a comedy show, and they truly just happened upon the show because they were looking for something to do.”
Audiences find the show as touching as it is funny, which surprises them. He says, “I think some people come to it thinking it’s like a drag queen cabaret about the musical Wicked, and some people know me for my comedy, so they come expecting to see an hour of stand-up.
And everyone gets more than one surprise,” Murray says. “It’s a very hard show to describe to people because I have put so many elements of myself into it. It’s a comedy variety show with a storytelling element that will hopefully make you feel something cathartic and beautiful at the end.
“Or at least please you enough to not ask for your money back. I hope.”
Murray says that the audience responses to the show have surprised him in the best way.
“I was very well received at the Edinburgh fringe festival which was a life changing experience. I didn’t know if people would get it,” Murray said. “My whole life I’ve been called niche. So, to have so many people say it was their favorite show at the fringe, where there are over 3,000 shows, was so amazing. I’m so grateful.”
Last year, Murray appeared on and contributed to the 2025 Tony Awards with Cynthia Erivo. And this year, he served as a creative consultant for the award show’s opening number.
Sadly, Murray recently lost his mother, who was his number one fan and supporter. “Mom was a really incredible person, and she influenced everything that I did,” Murray says. “Her encouragement of Witches was so special and so beautiful. I’m so lucky to have had a mom like her.
“I have a really beautiful memory of my mom and dad at my first sold out show in Edinburgh looking up at me from the second row and my mom is mouthing along, ‘You have a coven’ and looking up at me smiling and sending me so much love.”
Of course, Murray already has something new brewing. He’s written a Traitorz, parody musical about the popular reality TV game show that he’s super excited about.
“My friend Ben Fankhauser (from the original cast of Newsies on Broadway) wrote the score, and I wrote the lyrics and book,” Murray says. “We’re hoping it will get an off Broadway run, but currently we’re presenting it as a concert in New York City.
Murray and his friend Tye Blue, the co-writer and director of the Tony Award-nominated Broadway show Titanique have been writing another show as well.
“I can’t announce it yet,” Murray says, “But I’m very stoked about it!
Tim Murray is Witches! will be in Dallas for one night only on Saturday, June 27, at 5 p.m. (doors at 4:45 p.m.) in the Club Theater at the Dallas Comedy Club, 3036 Elm Street. Tickets can be purchased from the Dallas Comedy Club.