‘Witches’ unveils supernatural powers we get from growing up gay
Whether it’s “Hocus Pocus” or “Sabrina” or “Agatha All Along,” gay men have always had an affinity for witches, and comedian Tim Murray’s one-man show “Witches” dissects our love of powerful female outcasts while telling his own hilarious stories about growing up gay in the Midwest. “Witches,” which Murray describes as part stand-up, part drag, part musical comedy, debuted at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it got rave reviews, and now Murray’s taking it on his biggest tour yet, with 26 dates across the United States, Canada, and the UK.
The show plays at Los Angeles’ Elysian Theatre Oct. 15 and Washington, D.C.’s Comedy Loft Oct. 24. “I think there’s something special about all queer people that just feels like we are not part of the norm,” Murray says. “I was like literally the only boy in my whole junior high school who wasn’t on the football team.
So, we look for the stuff that we think is unique and special on the outside, and usually those are villains in movies or TV shows.
Or witches.” Murray says there are close parallels between the gay experience and the classical presentation of witches who have to hide their supernatural nature or withdraw from society. “They need to hide, and actually that thing they think they need to hide is what makes them special.
