Interview: Michael Conley Is Getting Ready to Bring THE FABULIST FOX SISTER to NYC

Later this week, The Green Room 42 will present the New York debut of The Fabulist Fox Sister, the musical comedy stage hit direct from London. The show stars acclaimed writer and performer Michael Conley, features music by Oliver Award nominee Luke Bateman and book and lyrics by Conley, and is produced by Alfred Taylor-Gaunt with Daniel Chowdhury. 

New York, 1892: Kate Fox, the woman who inadvertently invented séances is holding her last one. A final audience gathers to watch as she conjures some ghosts to tell the story of her life and the religion she accidentally began. Loosely inspired by the loosely true story of Kate Fox, The Fabulist Fox Sister is a silly, scathing and sardonic one-person musical inspired by our own era of approximate truth. After the show was produced around the United Kingdom, during the pandemic it was streamed live from the Southwark Playhouse, London. Last year, it was revived for a sold-out run at The Crazy Coqs, Piccadilly.

Below, Conley checks in with BroadwayWorld to give us the scoop on the new show before it arrives at The Green Room 42.

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I understand that this show has been years in the making. How does it feel to finally get to bring it to NYC audiences?

We are thrilled beyond belief! We’ve had the best time with this show, first as a series of stand-alone songs, then as a livestream, then as it has evolved in front of UK audiences, but we always wanted to bring it here. It’s a New York story. This was Kate Fox’s home for many years. And it was my home for many years so I know that there’s nothing like a New York audience.

For those who don't know, who is Kate Fox?

Kate Fox is the woman who (along with her sisters Maggie and Leah) pretended to talk to spirits in 1848 upstate New York and created a religion. In 1888, she admitted the whole thing was a lie. She later recanted that admission and said that saying it was a lie was a lie.

This musical is based on a rather obscure bit of history. How did you come to decide that it needed to be turned into a musical?

A story about a woman who lies and then comes clean only to lie again? I was hooked. Especially with what was going on in the world of politics at the time. The development was unusual as it began as a single song for me to perform at SIGNAL, a concert of new UK musical theatre pieces curated by ALP musicals. The audience loved it and the next audience loved the next song and soon we had a handful of songs that we knew worked. Some got cut along the way, but that first song served as our compass and pointed us here.

What do you think might surprise people most about this story?

I’m not sure that many people know that the world’s first séance was held by a group of young sisters in Hydesville (now Arcadia), New York. Kate was 12 and Maggie was 15 when they pretended to talk to a spirit around their kitchen table.

Is it true that there is a live album in the works? What can you tell us?

We’re so excited to play The Green Room 42 that we’re recording the performances to release as a live album. So, if you’re coming: laugh. Loudly.

In a nutshell- why do you think people need to head to The Green Room 42 to see The Fabulist Fox Sister?

Because it’s fun, it’s funny, it’s new, I’m terrific in it, and, what with the gorgeous venue and its gorgeous team, it’ll be a damned good night out.

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The Fabulist Fox Sister will be performed on Tuesday, September 26 and Friday, September 29, both at 9:30 PM, at The Green Room 42 (570 Tenth Avenue at 42nd Street, on the 4th Floor of Yotel). The cover charge ranges from $25-$45. A livestream option is available for $20. For tickets, please visit www.TheGreenRoom42.com.

After the New York performances, which will be recorded as an upcoming live album, The Fabulist Fox Sister has added tour stops in London (October 16) and Kent (October 28). Full details are at www.ffsmusical.com. 

Photo Credit: Jane Hobson