The Fabulous Fox Is Your Gateway to Broadway in St. Louis

From the moment that you step through the brass doors, The Fabulous Fox transports you to a world of wonder. Reminiscent of an opulent palace, the theater opened to the public in January 1929, when people could pay 50 cents to experience live entertainment, organ music, Fox Movietone News and a talkie.

Every aspect of The Fabulous Fox is visually stunning. The grand lobby was designed in the Siamese-Byzantine style, with rows of flanking columns that you would expect to find in rock-cut Buddhist monastery halls. The 4,500-seat auditorium is equally spectacular, with jewel-studded plasterwork, hand-stenciled walls, intricate cast brass, gilt paint, vibrant fabrics and velvet chairs. It’s here that eager theatergoers get to experience the magic of Broadway.

“A theater of this magnitude and this extravagance is so rare,” John O’Brien, vice president of programming and marketing at The Fabulous Fox, says. “We have one of the largest theaters in the country for touring Broadway shows, and we have more seats on the floor than the largest Broadway theater has in its entire house.”

Want to know what’s even more impressive? The Fabulous Fox fills all those seats for two-week runs of eight Broadway shows – plus, other musicals, concerts and events – every season!

“St. Louis is a theater town, and our appetite for Broadway is insatiable,” O’Brien says. “So, we absolutely punch above our weight when it comes to national tours.”

St. Louis audiences are accustomed to the best, and the upcoming season at The Fabulous Fox delivers, beginning with Hamilton (Aug. 28 to Sept. 8) and including Shucked (Feb. 26 to March 9), which boasts a direct tie to the region.

Shucked producer Mike Bosner grew up in Chesterfield, and an internship at The Muny became the catalyst for his career in musical theater.

“St. Louis made me who I am,” Bosner says. “I grew up seeing shows at The Muny and The Fabulous Fox, and now, as a Broadway producer, I understand the importance of the St. Louis market. When I begin a project like Beautiful or Shucked, I think about the local audience because I know that if it can work in St. Louis, it can work anywhere.”

Tapping into his Midwest roots, Bosner set his mind on creating a country musical for Broadway – despite doubts. “I describe Shucked as The Book of Mormon in a cornfield,” he says with a laugh. “It has that level of hilarity with less vulgarity.”

Among jokes about the urban city versus the rural town, Shucked addresses our differences with intelligence and heart. “When we finally realize that we are more similar than we are different, there’s no limit to what we can accomplish,” Bosner says. “Shucked delivers that message along with a boot-stomping score.”

The Fabulous Fox wants to give you all the feels with every new season. Which of the Broadway shows will you see this year?