Jim
Dooley & Rye Mullis Set to Adapt Musical Comedy “Witch’s Night Out”
Queens and Kings Inc. has
acquired the musical theater rights to WITCH’S NIGHT OUT, a heartfelt comedy
focusing on the magical mischief of a witch and the antics that ensue after she
fulfills the Halloween wishes of some children. Originally premiering in 1978
on NBC--the animated special “Witch’s Night Out” was created and produced by
Jonathan Rogers (formerly known as John Leach) alongside partner Jean Rankin.
The popular special ran yearly on the Disney Channel and Fox between 1983 and
1993, and was more recently released in a Halloween DVD collection by Mill
Creek Entertainment in September 2014. Emmy-award winning composer/songwriter
Jim Dooley, owner of Queens and Kings Inc, is helming the upcoming project
alongside director Rye Mullis, of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
Dooley says, "After working on Ringling Bros. and Barnum
& Bailey's innovative production of "Legends", I am thrilled to
partner with my director, Rye Mullis, on the new Musical Comedy: "Witch's
Night Out". Our goal is to create a unique and exciting family musical
theater experience that celebrates the spirit of Halloween and the idea of exploring
your own "Inner Monster. To be able to adapt this cult
classic television special into a full scale musical, is an opportunity that I
am truly excited about."
Mullis adds, "The Halloween
special of "Witch's Night Out" was worn out on our VHS when I was a
kid. I loved the tale of two kids whose dream of becoming real monsters, comes
true with the help of their own Witch-y version of a "Fairy
Godmother" on Halloween. It was the perfect the combination of unique
animation, a great story and the comedic genius of Gilda Radner and Catherine
O'Hara. It has stuck with me into adulthood. A year ago, I noticed that there
were no Halloween musicals for families (most "horror" musicals are
for adults i.e., "Rocky Horror Show"). When I mentioned the idea of
turning "Witch's Night Out" into a musical to Jim Dooley, he jumped on
the idea, set the wheels in motion and made everything happen. Jim is the only
composer I could consider working on this musical with, he has that magical,
whimsical and exciting talent that is going to bring this vintage special to a
whole new generation of families in a fresh and exciting Halloween musical. We
are so excited to begin this journey and in the words of our Fairy Godmother:
"Just you wait my darlings till you meet your gracious
hostess."
The original Halloween classic,
“Witch’s Night Out”, was an animated special originally produced in Toronto and
featuring some notable Canadian voice talent such as actress Fiona Reid (King
of Kensington), comedian Catherine O’Hara (Home Alone), and SNL alum Gilda
Radner. The plot follows a lonely witch (Radner) who is summoned by some
small children to a town that has lost sight of the holiday’s spirit. At the
kids’ wishes, the witch transforms the youngsters into the real life versions
of their costumes. Chaos results when a mob of grumpy citizens form in
retaliation, including characters such as Nicely (voiced by Leach) and
Malicious (voiced by O’Hara), causing the witch to lose her magic wand. In the
end, the witch must work together with her new friends to restore her powers,
turn the children back into humans, and teach everyone the true meaning of
Halloween.
Jim Dooley is an Emmy
Award-winning composer/songwriter who has received accolades for a variety of
works in film, television, video gaming and live theatrical industries. In
2008, Dooley received a Primetime Emmy Award for “Best Original Music
Composition for a Series” for ABC’s “Pushing Daisies.” More recently, two
projects featuring Jim’s music were also honored with Academy Award
nominations, the animated short “Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare”, and
the live-action short “The Buzkashi Boys”. Jim’s portfolio also boasts several
collaborations with many of the top names in music, from Hans Zimmer, Kristin
Chenoweth to Babyface. In addition, Dooley also wrote music for several
animated feature scores such as the German animated release “Urmel aus dem Eis”
(“Impy’s Island”) and its sequel; DreamWorks Animation’s musically acclaimed
short “First Flight.” Currently, Jim is scoring TNT’s post-apocalyptic drama
“The Last Ship,” with collaborator James S. Levine and has recently emerged
into the sports industry with his theme for the 2015 Senior PGA Championship.
Rye
Mullis is an American Director and Actor. Directing Credits include: Ringling Bros. And Barnum & Bailey
Circus, 3 Editions – Legends,
Built To Amaze, And Barnum Bash;
Rock Of Ages (Norwegian Cruise Lines), Disney’s Imagination Movers: Live from the
Idea Warehouse. Lucha Va
Voom (East Coast Tour), Blue
Balls (New York Fringe); Associate Directing Credits Include: Rock Of Ages (Las Vegas), SURF: The New Beach Boys
Musical (Las Vegas), Disney’s The
Cheetah Girls: One World Tour, Yanni:
Voices Tour, Dancing With
The Stars: Live In Las Vegas, Ringling
Bros: Bellobration, Over The Top And Barnum 200. Off B’ways The Awesome 80’s Prom.; The Divalogues; Performing
Credits Include: Tours; Mel
Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (The Monster), The Scarlet Pimpernel
(Percy), Curtains (Johnny
Harmon), Chitty Chitty Bang
Bang (Baron Bomburst), Joseph…
(Pharaoh).
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