Interview: Tim Murray's WITCHES at Joe's Pub Is Pop Culture Comedy Gold

Fans of all things pop culture, queer and spooky, mark your calendars. Next Wednesday, September 25th at 7 pm, catch musical comedian Tim Murray's latest show at Joe's Pub. Fresh off a sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Tim Murray is WITCHES is a mix of stand-up and original comedy songs about Tim's favorite pop culture witches. Murray is like a gay Bo Burnham, but painted green and doing drag! The show is a tribute to LGBTQIA people and how we discover our magic once we find our coven. From The Craft to Wicked to the Sanderson Sisters to Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Angelica Houston's Grand High Witch, Murray celebrates famous sorceresses throughout herstory and uses their stories as a parallel to the queer witch hunt.

Tim Murray has performed stand-up all over the U.S. including SF Sketchfest, The Brooklyn Comedy Festival and DragCon. His new sketch comedy TV show Wish You Were Queer, produced by Trixie Mattel, will debut in 2024. Tim Murray is WITCHES received several five-star reviews at Edinburgh Fringe. It was nominated for an Off-West End award and WON Best Musical show from Entertainment Now.

Below, read a conversation with Tim about WITCHES.

You just finished a run of this show at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. How do you feel about the reception your show got?

It’s been overwhelming and amazing. The people who come to the show are so down to have a good time and I think because it’s so specific people just lose their minds for it. I’m so proud of that and so honored that they want to have a blast with me! I’ve had a bunch of incredible five-star reviews from my run and it’s not lost on me that those are very rare for any show. It was such a risk doing this thing that I thought might be too niche and instead has made people feel so seen. Plus, it 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. 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. 

You also performed this show last year at the Fringe in 2023. Did you learn anything about the show then that you incorporated this time around?

The hardest thing about performing abroad is finding references that people from all over the world will understand. I’m such a pop culture comedian that it’s actually extremely challenging to find punchlines that are broad, especially for this ultra specific show about gays and witches [laughs]. But I was able to test stuff out and see what hit and what didn’t. Some things I kept for the American run and some I switched right back to American topics. 

What is your writing process like? Can you walk me through your inspiration for one of the songs in this show?

I always try to start with an angle, or a “game” as they call it in Upright Citizen Brigade. The idea of that being what is the unusual and therefore funny thing about this character or topic. And then I try to put what my husband calls “the Tim Murray spin” on it. If something is generically funny he will always tell me “that has broad appeal but I want the Tim Murray point of view. Your weird take.” And that’s how I approach a comedy song. What is my unusual opinion about this? Then I write out the lyrics and come up with a general melody. And I send that to my amazing musician friends Zach Reino, Henry Koperski and Matthew Patrick Davis who created the tracks for the show! 

Aside from this show, what have you been filling your time with lately?

I’m always trying to write new standup and create funny videos online, but my main passion project has been my play The Mentor. It’s something I’ve been working on for years and rewriting to try and make it perfect. It’s about a college professor and two impressionable gay students. It’s suspenseful and because it’s me it’s also a dark comedy. Tye Blue, the director of Titanique, has been directing the readings and we’re really excited about the next possible steps which we’re still ironing out the details for. That and I’ve been playing a lot of Catan and watching Selling Sunset.

You have a new sketch comedy show coming up later this year produced by Trixie Mattel. Is there anything you can tell us about that?

Unfortunately, I’m not allowed to talk about the show much other than to say it’s going to be very, very funny and to keep your eyes peeled for future announcements!

What else is coming up next for you?

I’m currently working on a new parody musical that I’m very excited about. I want to bring it to Edinburgh Fringe in 2025 if I finish it in time. And my play The Mentor just finished a successful reading in NYC starring Jeff Hiller and Taylor Trensch. We’re currently in talks with a few regional theaters and New York producers to find out the next steps for it. I call it a gay All About Eve that takes place in 2024. I’m also percolating on a few new solo show ideas. And ideally I want to sell Witches to a streaming service and have it debut as my hour of comedy! 

Is there anything else you'd like to add?

To keep updated with me on Instagram and TikTok to see more theatre-related comedy and possibly some new musical content!

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Tickets to Tim Murray Is WITCHES are available on Joe's Pub's website.

Follow Tim on Instagram @TMurray06 and find more of Tim's projects on Linktree.

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