Lizzy Furey is a comedian based in New York City. She plays the titular character of the upcoming Edinburgh Fringe show Lil’ Miss Kate – Ward of the State. She is an indie darling of the New York improv comedy scene and has been performing with her team The ‘96 Bulls for almost 10 years.
How did you get into comedy/writing/producing etc?
Reading Tina Fey’s Bossypants while I was at college introduced me to the idea of improv as a concept, and I thought taking classes would help provide a creative outlet that would support my writing. I had always thought of myself as more of a writer than a performer, but the lines have gotten more and more blurred over the years. Now I have an insatiable craving for an audience.
What’s your show about and where can we see it?
Our show follows the plucky and precocious orphan Lil’ Miss Kate as she goes on all kinds of old-timey adventures with her faithful horse, Fiorello. It’s a send up of 1930s radio serials but any resemblance to other famous orphans of that medium are purely coincidental. You can see our show every day of the Edinburgh Fringe festival.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
My performance for Lil’ Miss Kate is largely inspired by Dora the Explorer and Ellie Kemper in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. But I bet a lot of people at Edinburgh Fringe say that.
What do you think makes great comedy/content/sitcom/etc?
Great theatre actors make great sitcoms. I’ve been obsessed with the American sitcom Frasier since COVID lockdowns and the level of theatre pedigree on that show is awe-inspiring. I got to see David Hyde Pierce on Broadway last year doing Gilbert and Sullivan and it gave me life. Not to say you NEED theatre training and experience to make great sitcoms but it certainly won’t hurt. Even if you’re making something that’s filmed or recorded not in front of an audience, I think it helps to have experience working with a crowd and reading a room in that way.
Any interesting upcoming projects?
I have exciting plans for my sports and fashion newsletter The Sportorialist, so subscribe to follow along with that! I usually find a way to end up talking about Zendaya somehow so that will probably continue to happen. My improv team, The ‘96 Bulls, is always going strong around New York City, and occasionally other cities so follow along on our Instagram and try to catch us live.
Who are your favourite Funny Women?
I have to give it up first for OG funny women like Jane Austen and Dorothy Parker. I’ve been reading Anne Brontë lately and she’s been cracking me up, too. But for more recent funny women, I always turn to Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, the women of Friends, Maria Bamford, Wanda Sykes, Atsuko Okatsuka, Lauren Lapkus, Lisa Gilroy, Nicole Byer, and Meg Stalter. I’m sorry that the only British women I’ve listed here are Jane Austen and Anne Brontë.
You can keep up with Lizzy Furey on Instagram and Bluesky.
Tickets and more information can be found here!
