Teacher, turned comedian, turned… witch?
There seems to be nothing Tim Murray can’t do!
You may know Murray from The Other Two on HBO Max, as the host of the Slumber Party podcast, or from their recurring guest spot on Las Culturistas.
Now, you can catch Murray headlining his North American Tour: Tim Murray is Witches!
View this post on Instagram
In a conversation with GLAAD, Murray shared what fans should expect on this one-of-a-kind tour.
“The show is a mix of stand-up and original comedy songs about my favorite pop culture WITCHES! I’m in full green witch drag from head to toe (with very ugly shoes),” Murray explained.
“Audiences can expect to have a great time with lots of laughs, costume changes and a wild night of crowd work and songs. I celebrate ‘The Craft’, ‘Wicked’, the ‘Sanderson Sisters’, ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch’ and Angelica Houston’s ‘Grand High Witch, among others, and use their stories as a parallel to queerness.”
Murray described the show as a tribute to queerness and to witches, he expanded on why he thinks there is such a strong overlap between the two. “Witches are people who often have to keep their identities a secret and hates that he has to hide from the world for fear of being hunted by those who think being different is dangerous. Murray often discover later that their powers are actually a gift.”
“I think there is such a strong relation between queer people and witches because we start to embrace what makes us ‘different’ once we find others who are like us. When we become part of a group we realize we have powers and that’s what my show is about… finding your coven,” he continued.
Murray also shared how he is preparing for the North American leg of the tour. “I am trying to be very demure, very mindful and very much laying down at home,” he says referencing newly-crowned TikTok icon, Jools Lebron. “The show is a lot of physical comedy in giant heels. I also sing a ton and do a lot of crowd work so I mostly prepare by resting. I also improvise a song about a witch based on audience members’ stories every night so I prepare by having my husband give me stories before shows so I can warm up my improv brain with some practice material.”
View this post on Instagram
He continued, “Queer people desire more. We appreciate a little bit of pageantry. And adding drag, singing and dancing to my jokes honestly makes me feel like I have superpowers. Musical comedy is really hard and the jokes hitting so hard in the songs is such a great feeling. Plus, who doesn’t want something exciting to look at? I want my comedy shows to feel like a party. I want the audience to feel glad that they left their couches and spent their evening with me. Or should I say… GLAAD? See what I did there??”
He shares where his original inspiration for the wildly successful show came from, “I have always been obsessed with witches and I think a lot of gay kids are. There is a reason little gay boys cackle like the wicked witch of the west from The Wizard of Oz. We feel like othered from an early age and witches represent that. And I’m not going to pretend to be a girl in plaid when I can pretend to be green and have fierce nails. That’s way better.”
With queer comedy growing and evolving rapidly, Murray talks about why this style of entertainment is so unique. “It’s thrilling to watch queer comedy take off! There was no space for us other than drag shows until recently when queer people have started coming out in droves to do our own kind of comedy.” He continues, “Many of us are a little off beat and entirely original which is so special to me. I want people to leave my show thinking ‘I have never seen anything like that.’ I can’t imagine anything more queer.”
View this post on Instagram
It’s not lost on Murray that he is bringing a “very queer” show to some very anti-LGBTQ parts of the country. He is hopeful the show will offer a safe space for members of the community living in these areas.
“I want people to know that those of us with microphones are going to use our time in front of a crowd to have something to say. My show is meant to celebrate the queer experience but also teach anyone who thinks LGBTQ people shouldn’t be themselves openly around children that they’re wrong.”
Murray added, “I use the show to showcase the importance of queer role models, especially queer teachers. And I hope everyone leaves feeling a sense of hope that we are finding ways to prove why LGBTQ people will not be backing down from these issues. That we will fight for each other. One of my favorite things to do as an artist is to get people to laugh so hard that they don’t even see the message coming. And then bam you can’t miss it! It says ‘Surrender Dorothy’ in the sky.”
With so much anti-LGBTQ hate and misinformation across the country right now, including more than 600 anti-LGBTQ bills across state legislatures this yer, Murray said that if he could cast a spell and create a pro-LGBTQ bill of any kind, he would cast one that focused on the LGBTQ community’s mental health.
“When I’m not doing stand-up I teach in mental health facilities and rehab centers. A disproportionate amount of my students are LGBTQ+. I’d love to create a bill that requires mental health access, especially free talk therapy for queer kids. That, or a bill that forces everyone to learn the complete history of Britney Spears. Both important.”
View this post on Instagram
Murray offered some advice to up and coming LGBTQ comedians too: “Don’t compare yourself to anyone. The models for success as a comedian are either straight people who appeal to the masses or queer people who have carved out their own totally original path. Cole Escola wrote a play about Mary Todd Lincoln. I don’t think there was a road map for that happening. They just started creating what they really wanted to see. That’s what I’ve done with witches.” he said, “And if you’re reading this… that’s what you will do too. Just start to write what you want to see and what really makes you laugh. What makes you special is what will bring the break. And it’s probably something very unusual and therefor queer.”
Check out a sneak peek of what to expect at the show!
@tmurray06 London tonight! Find out if young people know about Blockbuster!! #standup #standupcomedy #blockbuster #genz #movies ♬ original sound – Tim Murray
View this post on Instagram
Get your tickets now to a show at a city near you here!