Fresh from winning the 2025 “Indiana’s Funniest Person” contest at Helium Comedy Club, Patrick Murray, 36, will say farewell to the city that’s helped him blossom into the standup comedian he is today.
Murray, known for wearing a wizard hat, is slated to move to Los Angeles later this year. He’s throwing a farewell celebration at the White Rabbit Cabaret on Tuesday, July 28 that he’s calling Wizardfest, with live music from Sirius Blvck, Wet Denim and We’d Be, along with standup performances from Aisha Brown, David Brooks and Murray.
The following week, Murray will again give hometown fans one last chance to send him off as he records his second comedy special at Helium Comedy Club on Tuesday, Aug. 4.
If you go
Upstairs at Helium: Patrick Murray Album Recording
🗓️ 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4
📍 Helium Comedy Club, 10 W. Georgia St.
🎟️ $17.99
‘This is what I want to do forever’
Murray grew up in Lafayette loving the surrealist humor of British comedies such as “Monty Python” and “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” After his parents divorced when he was a 6-year-old boy, he found sarcasm to be a source of comfort.
“It’s kind of how my family dealt with anything hard, making jokes to get through it,” Murray said. “With everything in my life, I would just joke my way out of it.”
Murray moved to Indianapolis in 2014 and joined his family who had moved to the city. There, his friends convinced him to sign up for a comedy open mic. The rest is history.
“At that first open mic, I got the bug, man,” said Murray. “It bit me, and I was like, ‘This is what I want to do forever. I don’t know how I’ll do that, but this is what I’m going to do.’”
Twelve years later, Murray continues to sharpen his craft as a standup, relying on his genuine charm to bring out the laughs.
Jeff Oskay, 52, a standup comedian who’s on “The Bob & Tom Show,” thinks people who are true to themselves, like Murray, do better. “You can tell when someone’s being honest and genuine, and it’s why some people blow up and some people don’t,” he said.
In February 2020, Murray recorded “A Fistful of Drink Tickets,” during a live show at Black Circle, a small venue and craft beverage producer on 46th Street. The album came at a time when Murray felt he needed to step up his game.
“I like doing these big, insane things when my career feels like it’s plateaued or is at a lull,” Murray said. “That fear puts this fire under my ass to just start moving again.”
Searching for his main character era
Murray feels it’s time for another big leap. Moving to Los Angeles is on his near horizon.
“I feel like I’ve plateaued here,” Murray said. “I don’t see myself going further unless I go further.”
Although he can’t comment much on what he’ll be doing in LA, he did share that he has a gig waiting for him working for a YouTube channel. “I was going to move either way, but this is just the guiding light,” he said.
Standup comedian and Let’s Comedy show promoter Alex Price, 42, backs Murray’s decision to take his talents out west.
“He can do a lot of things out there that he can’t really do here,” Price said. “There are a lot of big white guys that do comedy, but he definitely has a unique look about him. Matched with his style and the material he does, it’s a real good fit.”
As for his farewell show, Murray is simply excited to host a party with some of his favorite local acts at a venue that’s helped push his career forward.
“For me, this going away party is about me throwing a show with all the local artists and entertainers who’ve been there for me as I’ve grown and celebrating them.” Murray said. “Because without all of them, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
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Seth Johnson is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach him at seth.johnson4291@gmail.com.
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