Wikipedia

Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!

Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! is a murder mystery comedy musical, with book and lyrics by Jon Brittain and music and lyrics by Matthew Floyd Jones, about two true crime podcasters who are thrust into a thrilling whodunnit of their own. As of May 2024, it is playing at the Ambassadors Theatre in London's West End.[1]

Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder!
MusicMatthew Floyd Jones
LyricsJon Brittain & Matthew Floyd Jones
BookJon Brittain
PremiereAugust 3, 2022 (2022-08-03): Summerhall, Edinburgh
Productions2022 Edinburgh Fringe
2023 UK Tour
2024 West End
Awards2022 Musical Theatre Review Award for Best Musical

Synopsis

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Kathy Baxter and Stella Carmichael, two murder-obsessed best friends from Beverley near Hull, are the oddball hosts of Kathy & Stella's Murder Podcast, a tiny operation broadcast weekly from the Baxters' garage to the exasperation of their disapproving families. After failing to wow their idol Felicia Taylor ("the woman who solved the case of the Hull Decapitator") at a book signing, Kathy and Stella's disappointment is soon forgotten when they find themselves in an interrogation room with Detective Inspector Sue Shaw, who informs them that they are two of the last people to have seen a recent murder victim. Realising that they could both become "part of the story," Kathy and Stella vow to catch the killer themselves, thus beginning a ludicrous caper around Humberside as they realise they don't know what they're doing. Their investigations lead them to friendly morgue technicians Justin Norris and Erica Knott, and troubled ex-police officer David Slatter, but the taunting killer still eludes them. Tensions finally come to a head at the Birmingham Convention Centre's Murder Con, a dramatic showdown that puts Kathy and Stella's friendship to the absolute test.[2]

Development

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The musical premiered at Summerhall (Paines Plough) during the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe, produced by Francesca Moody and Kater Gordon, co-directed by Brittain and Fabian Aloise (also choreographer), with musical direction and arrangements by Jones.[3] Other members of the creative team included Cecilia Carey (set and costume), Peter Small (lighting) and Tingying Dong (sound). The show was 70 minutes long, performed in the round by five cast members and the composer on piano. Critical reception was positive, describing the show as "a night of utter, unalloyed joy," and Brittain and Jones received the Musical Theatre Review Award for Best Musical.[4][5]

The show was expanded for a 2023 UK tour, returning to the Edinburgh Fringe (Underbelly) with a 90-minute iteration, followed by a two-act version at Bristol Old Vic and HOME Manchester, produced by Moody and Gordon in collaboration with Fiery Angel and Wessex Grove.[6] By this stage the creative team also included Dan Samson (sound), Charlie Ingles (orchestrator and supervisor) and Charlie Martin (associate director), and the company had grown to eight cast members and four musicians. Four songs from the show were released via streaming services.[7]

In 2024 it was announced that the full-length version of Kathy & Stella would transfer to the West End, opening at the Ambassadors Theatre on 25 May for a 16-week limited run.[1] On 5 June, during the interval of the press night performance, a water leak occurred backstage that prevented the show from continuing.[8]

Characters and cast

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Role Edinburgh Fringe[9] UK Tour[6] West End[1]
2022 2023 2024
Kathy Baxter Bronté Barbé
Stella Carmichael Rebekah Hinds
Felicia Taylor+ Jodie Jacobs Hannah-Jane Fox
Sue Shaw Elliotte Williams-N'Dure
Vanessa Baxter TJ Lloyd Elliot Broadfoot
Justin Norris
David Slatter Ben Redfern
Frankie Carmichael Imelda Warren-Green
Erica Knott

2023 UK tour: Jacob Kohli, Sarah Pearson (ensemble), Chelsea Hall (dance captain/offstage swing).

2024 West End: Jennifer Caldwell (resident director/understudy), Chelsea Hall (dance captain/understudy), Sorelle Marsh (standby).

Songs

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West End:

* "Everyone's On Our Wavelength," "Guilty as Sin," "Read About a Murder" and "Sue's Song" were added for the two-act version on the UK Tour.

^ "Can't Trust Anyone" was added for the West End transfer.

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Full casting confirmed for Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! in the West End". What's On Stage. 24 Apr 2024.
  2. ^ "Review: Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder". Time Out. 13 Jun 2024.
  3. ^ "Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder" (PDF). Paines Plough. Retrieved 12 Jun 2024.
  4. ^ Smith, Gwendolyn (19 Aug 2022). "Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder, Edinburgh Fringe, review: A night of pure joy". The i.
  5. ^ "Writers celebrate second Musical Theatre Review Award as Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder wins Best Musical at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022". Musical Theatre Review. 26 Aug 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! announces full cast and creatives". WestEndTheatre.com. 26 Jun 2023.
  7. ^ Hall, Margaret (10 Oct 2023). "Edinburgh Fringe Hit Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! Releases EP October 10". Playbill.
  8. ^ Dex, Robert (7 Jun 2024). "West End musical Kathy & Stella Solve A Murder! cancels shows after theatre flood". The Evening Standard.
  9. ^ "Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 12 Jun 2024.
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