Thursday, December 29, 2016

The Congo Cabaret: That's Entertainment, Hosted by Muley and Friends

Enjoy dinner and great entertainment, while helping others in need!

The Muley and Friends Show returns to live entertainment as hosts on January 22, 2017, which is fast approaching and with it comes the Congo Cabaret: That's Entertainment.  This variety show hearkens back to the days of vaudeville.  The twist?  This show is hosted by none other than Muley the Mule and Friends!

The event is created/produced/directed by Joel Chapman, one of the counselors of church's mental health center, and is meant to help raise funds for the food program at First Congo.

You can buy your tickets in person after services on Sundays with a check or cash, in the Global Goods Store with credit, or log into www.firstcongo.com, click on DONATE, and when buying your ticket list how many seats you need when buying the $40 family package (up to 4 seats) or the $25 single seat ticket.  You can also buy single seat tickets for others who might not be able to afford it otherwise.

Seating is limited to only 100 people, and as of this writing over 1/3 of those seats have been sold!  Don't wait, buy your ticket now!

We will have performances by Brennan Villines, Pastor Cheryl Cornish and Mark Allen, Sibella, Prof. Randy Rushing, and a bunch more surprises.  Also, you know our history: Being hosted by Muley the Mule and Friends ANYTHING could happen!!

The press release is below the video (which works on most browsers, or CLICK HERE).




(poster by Joel Chapman)
First Congregational Church, fondly known as “First Congo”, in the Cooper-Young
Neighborhood, is presenting “That’s Entertainment”—a big evening of dinner cabaret to benefit the social justice ministries of the church. On Sunday, January 22nd, with supper beginning at 5:30 and the show starting at 6:00, there will be a wide array of semi-professional and professional performers to brighten a winter’s evening, raise funds, and gladden the hearts of children and adults.


Hosting the cabaret is Muley the Mule and Friends—a fabulous troupe of puppeteers who not only will introduce the acts, but will perform and bring some surprises as well. Check them out at muleythemule.com. Some of the artists scheduled to appear are Dr. Randal Rushing, Professor of Voice at the University of Memphis’ Scheidt School of Music who will “channel” the likes of Hank Snow and Merle Haggard. Pastor Cheryl Cornish and her guitarist husband, Mark Allen, will play the music of PDQ Bach. You don’t want to miss that.


Director of the show and tenor, Joel Chapman, and baritone, Jonathan Devin, will join to sing the haunting “Lily’s eyes” from “The Secret Garden.” Duo Sibella will perform some of their original songs, and song stylists such as David Winter and ZB Davis will
represent the blues and musical theatre genres. The music director for “That’s Entertainment” is rising pop singer and composer, Brennan Villines, who recently gave a wow big band performance at Playhouse on the Square and who will sing a selection from his 2015 album, “Free.” Check him out at brennanvillines.com.


Tickets are $25 for singles, $40 for a family up to four, and include a delicious spaghetti supper. There will be a cash bar for beer and wine. The cabaret takes place in First Congo’s new Hub where approximately 400 people per week are fed a hot lunch and where clothing and toiletries are available in the clothes closet and pantry.

The Hub includes a stage where it is hoped coffee house and cabaret productions will become a regular part of the First Congo community outreach.


Tickets must be pre-paid and can be claimed at “will call” the evening of the show. Tickets can be purchased at the church, 1000 S. Cooper St., by check, cash or credit card. Or, go to firstcongo.com and click on the “Donate” button. Be sure to indicate your payment is for “cabaret” and clearly indicate the type of tickets you are purchasing: singles, family plan, or a combination. We have to know the total number of seats you are purchasing. Please leave a phone number in case we have questions.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Easter Eggheads returns to ACME Classics 3/27/2016!

Be sure to join the fun Easter Sunday at 7:45 AM and 2:30 PM only on ACME Classics!

Over the air on channel 23.2 and 34.1, or Comcast 15 or U-Verse 34!!

Here is a downloadable, share-able image for your favorite social media websites and apps, so PLEASE SHARE!!







You can see Muley's experience with Easter by following these links:
2011 Post, includes video shot with Rabbit Haire.
2012 Post, when Roy Duck mixes up his holidays again.

Related websites:
www.muleythemule.com
www.toshigawa.com
www.griffithproductions.net
www.risingfyre.com 
www.damarcoarts.com

Easter Show credits:

Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Director, Casting,
Puppet Captain, Set Decoration, Property Manager, Show Concept,
Kevin L. Williams

Puppets by Kevin L. Williams Productions, LLC

Buford the Dog assisted by Martheus Antone Wade 
Missy Mule assisted by Janet Wade
Roy Duck assisted by DaMarco "Turbo Ducksauce" Randle
Nora Moore performed by Nora Childers
Jonathan Mueller performed by Jonathan McCarver
Muley the Mule assisted by Kevin L. Williams

Director, DP - Ed Griffith
Editor, Production Assistant - Marcus Kent Hamson
Executive Producer, Audio Engineering, Casting - Brad Alsobrook

Production Services by Griffith Productions
Production Services by Rising Fyre Productions

© 2015 Kevin L. Williams Productions, LLC www.muleyshow.com 

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

December 2015 Showings of "Millionaire Magazines!"

The Muley and Friends Show "Millionaire Magazines" will be airing again on ACME CLASSICS TV!
December 24th at 9:25 am, and again on December 25th at 10:50 am and 7:00 pm!
Over the air on Memphis 23.2 and Senatobia 34.1.
On cable Comcast 15 and U-Verse 34!!
Hope to see you there. Be sure to let me know if you're watching!
www.muleyshow.com 
www.acmeclassics.com



www.toshigawa.com
www.griffithproductions.com
www.andrewchandler.net
www.muleythemule.com

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

The Muley and Friends Show: Easter Eggheads - Coming Easter 2015!

Join Muley the Mule and Friends as they bring a new Easter Holiday Special to the airwaves!

Spring is in the air, Missy Mule hopes to woo Muley who, with his pals, Buford the Dog and Roy Duck, learns the meaning behind rebirth, resurrection, and not eating all that candy!

"Easter Eggheads" airs exclusively on ACME Classics Comcast 15, U-Verse 34, and over-the-air on Memphis 23.2 and Senatobia 34.1.

The show times are:
Sat:
12:34 The Muley and Friends Show: Millionaire Magazines
4:03
The Muley and Friends Show: Easter Eggheads

Sun:
2:04
The Muley and Friends Show: Easter Eggheads 
3:35 The Muley and Friends Show: Millionaire Magazines 
4:01 The Muley and Friends Show: Easter Eggheads

Feel free to share this image and link!
Not sure if "Easter Eggheads" fits as an action-adventure film; but, we do have this...


You can see Muley's experience with Easter by following these links:
2011 Post, includes video shot with Rabbit Haire.
2012 Post, when Roy Duck mixes up his holidays again.

Related websites:
www.muleythemule.com
www.toshigawa.com
www.griffithproductions.net
www.risingfyre.com
www.damarcoarts.com

Easter Show credits:

Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Director, Casting,
Puppet Captain, Set Decoration, Property Manager, Show Concept,
Kevin L. Williams

Puppets by Kevin L. Williams Productions, LLC

Buford the Dog assisted by Martheus Antone Wade 
Missy Mule assisted by Janet Wade
Roy Duck assisted by DaMarco "Turbo Ducksauce" Randle
Nora Moore performed by Nora Childers
Jonathan Mueller performed by Jonathan McCarver
Muley the Mule assisted by Kevin L. Williams

Director, DP - Ed Griffith
Editor, Production Assistant - Marcus Kent Hamson
Executive Producer, Audio Engineering, Casting - Brad Alsobrook

Production Services by Griffith Productions
Production Services by Rising Fyre Productions

© 2015 Kevin L. Williams Productions, LLC www.muleyshow.com

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Muley's Christmas Videos

Want to see a long history of Muley videos posted to the internet over the years for Christmas?  Well, now you can!  Click the image below to make the magic happen!

http://muleycomix.blogspot.com/2014/12/christmas-videos-through-history.html
 

Thursday, November 27, 2014

Acknowledgements for "Millionaire Magazines"

There are several people we wish to thank for helping us get the TV Special "The Muley and Friends Show" 'Millionaire Magazines' off the ground.  Of course, the credits in the show thank all those involved in the program: Martheus Wade, Janet Wade, Andrew Chandler, Nora Childers, Jonathan McCarver, Brad Alsobrook, Ed Griffith, Beth Kelly, Lisa Pretti, Drew Russom, and Anthony Howald.

First, we'd love to thank our home church, First Congregational Church, for allowing us space to hold auditions and the preview party, especially Julia Hicks who has been so helpful scheduling us the space.  Over all, we wish to thank all those who attend First Congo as they have always been supportive of our Mule.

For the Preview Party, we'd love to thank Steve Swift and Voices of the South for offering their chairs during the First Congo Thanksgiving Feast so we could keep chairs in the Conference Center!  (One of our favorite performances was at the First Congo 150th Banquet Dinner with Sister Myotis, with whom Steve is very close!)

Thanks to Bernie O'Brien at ACME Classics TV for giving us a televised stage for Muley the Mule and Friends!

We wish to thank Memphis Magazine and The Downtowner for offering us stacks of magazines for use in the finale, as well as The Memphis Flyer.

Those who helped us gather stacks of magazines:
Anita Osgood, Edwina Hackett, Linley Schmidt, Carol Leedham, Debbi Odom, and Nora Childers.

A big thank you shout out to Angela Freeman who helped turn the house into a big mess for shooting puppet films and helping stack up the magazines for the finale, as well as helping cater the meals and meetings.

Special thanks to Kent Hamson and Rising Fyre Productions for helping color-correct the film.

And a giant thank you to YOU, the reader, for your love and support during the filming of this program.

I think this about covers it for acknowledgements not listed in the credits!

Photo by Andrew Chandler.
 A few more acknowledgements from the cast and crew.

Buford the Dog's assistant, Martheus Wade, wanted to share what he's thankful for during the holiday that the show came to television:

I'm thankful for my wife and son. The ability to draw and teach others to do so. My family. My friends. And the friendship that has brought me so much laughter and a certain dog and a Christmas saint with a fish habit.
 
Stage Manager and Producer, Brad Alsobrook, has a few thanks he'd like to shout-out:
 

Hi Friends,
 
I'd like to start out by personally thanking everyone on the cast and crew for all their hard work and for doing such a great job....
 
But a special thanks goes out to Kevin L. Williams the creator and caretaker of Muley T. Mule, Buford the Dog, Roy Duck, Missy Mule and all the other screwball characters he has dreamed up.  Without Kevin's quick wit, good sense of humor and great script writing ability,  there would not be a Muley and Friends Show.
 
Thanks to our wonderful group of puppeteers for bringing Kevin's colorful cast of characters to life. And thanks to Nora and Jo-Nathan for taking care of Muley and his friends (thanks for potty training them)...
 
And last but not least...a BIG thank you goes out to Bernie O'Brien at Acme Classics TV for having faith in us (and for having patience)  and for giving us the opportunity to do The Muley and Friends Show.... Without your support, the Muley Show would not have happened... Thank-you for giving us a chance to share Kevin's dream and beloved characters with a wider audience. 
 

Brad Alsobrook
The Muley and Friends Show

 
Our camera assistant, Bethany Kelly, added:
 
Many thanks to my very talented friends, Kevin Williams and Muley The Mule, for including me on this great project and for allowing me in some small way to be a part of their wonderful, ever evolving dream come true. ----(And, an extra thanks to Muley and the rest of the gang just for being so darn cute!) *:-* kiss
Much love ~~ Bethany aka Beth

A Thanksgiving Wish - 2014