With our true crime fascination at an all-time high, it seems it was only a matter of time before we got a musical out of it\u2026 we can only be grateful that it was Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! and not \u2018Bundy: A serial killer story.\u2019<\/p>\n
Jumping into a space where Law and Order meets Dinner Ladies \u2013 with a little bit of Fleabag-style feminism thrown in \u2013 the Ambassador Theatre\u2019s newest show is a fabulously macabre addition to the West End and another great example of eccentric, original musicals making it to the big leagues (like Operation Mincemeat or Babies).<\/p>\n
Starting off at the Edinburgh Fringe, the show follows two best friends, Kathy Baxter and Stella Carmichael, who channel their lifelong obsession with murders (the grislier the better), into a cheery, weekly true crime podcast \u2013 with a very catchy intro.<\/p>\n
But, when their favourite true crime famous heroine, Felicia Taylor, wafts into town and is promptly murdered, their lives are changed as a 20-year-old serial killer case is reopened with them at the centre. As Kathy and Stella dive deep into the story, they put their friendship, their morals, and their lives on the line.<\/p>\n
As you can probably expect from a murder mystery comedy, Kathy and Stella takes everything you know about musicals and puts a morbid twist on it. Highlights include: Kathy singing a passionate love duet about her first time in a morgue (while dancing on a dead body), and Stella having her big ballad moment about anonymous strangers on the internet.<\/p>\n
The show pumps out macabre gags and earthy one-liners like there\u2019s no tomorrow, covering everything from Buffy the Vampire slayer references to Lorraine Kelly, all the while maintaining an intriguing homicide plot with plenty of twists.<\/p>\n
The songs are definitely catchy \u2013 just try and make sure you don\u2019t accidentally sing the lyrics of We Don\u2019t Know What We\u2019re Doing out loud \u2013 and who knew there was so much you could do with wheely chair choreography?<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/The-Cast-of-Kathy-and-Stella-Solve-a-Murder-Pamela-Raith-Photography-8834624-e1718201241223.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"The")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>However, it\u2019s in between the dry deliveries and Hull gimmicks that Kathy and Stella finds its true strength, by managing to make genuine points about the issues and ethics of true crime. As the two podcasters investigate who murdered their hero, the search for justice quickly becomes overpowered by a hunger for fame and the need to be \u201cpart of a story\u201d.<\/p>\n
At the same time, it deftly handles the nature of obsessive fan bases and the way so-called armchair detectives seem to enjoy people\u2019s tragedy.<\/p>\n
The audience is slightly hit over the head with this point in act two, when the musical unfortunately decides to adopt a tell don\u2019t show approach, but overall the message is clear: our consumption of true crime has gone too far.<\/p>\n
The musical\u2019s profundity also comes out through the beautiful friendship between the two leads. Right from the off, the chemistry between Bront\u00e9 Barb\u00e9 (Kathy) and Rebekah Hinds (Stella) is absolutely on point, and there isn\u2019t a second where we don\u2019t believe in their geeky vs bolshy dynamic.<\/p>\n
Barb\u00e9 is excellent as the intelligent but anxious Kathy, a woman so terrified of disappointing people that she opts to do nothing at all. While Hinds matches her in every way as the belligerent Stella, who masks her depths of insecurity with humour and defensiveness.<\/p>\n
Best of all, it\u2019s clear that the pair are not just friends but soulmates \u2013 a sentiment unequivocally reflected in the song If I Didn\u2019t Have You (I Would Die) \u2013 and that this is a story based entirely on friendship rather than romance, which is unbelievably refreshing.<\/p>\n
The rest of the cast is made up of five very talented stars, and I want to shine a particular spotlight on Elliotte Williams-N\u2019Dure. For most of the show, Williams-N\u2019Dure has the rather thankless task of playing Detective Inspector Sue Shaw, the irritable police officer required of every murder mystery. However, rather than fade into the background and become part of the crime drama furniture, she steps up in the second act and comes out with a shocking twist and a belter of a song.<\/p>\n
Sue\u2019s Song is a poignant and heartbreaking track about disillusionment with police work and morals gone astray. It\u2019s not an overstatement to say that this moment in the show stopped me in my tracks. The only disappointment was having the song roll right into the action of the next scene \u2013 not giving Williams-N\u2019Dure a moment for applause.<\/p>\n
Overall, Kathy and Stella is fresh, funny and comes with many layers to slice into. Whether you\u2019re a fan of musicals or not, it\u2019s bloody good fun.<\/p>\n
For more news and reviews, here\u2019s our Two Strangers review<\/a> and The Government Inspector review<\/a>. Plus, Bradley Riches on Babies<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Kathy and Stella is running at Ambassadors Theatre for a limited season until\u00a014th September. The shows will take place everyday except Sunday, with two shows on Saturdays.<\/p>\n If you need help getting there, Ambassadors Theatre is right next to Covent Garden tube station (on the Piccadilly Line), or you can take a short walk from Charing Cross (Bakerloo and Northern line or Southeastern Rail).<\/p>\n Tickets are on sale now at ATG Tickets from \u00a320, and there\u2019s plenty of availability over the next few months.<\/p>\n Buy Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder tickets at ATG Tickets<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Test your brain power with our Going Out-themed riddles in RadioTimes.com\u2019s free newsletter<\/span><\/em><\/p> \u00a0<\/p>\n We\u2019ve also got the lowdown on how do TodayTix Rush tickets work<\/a>, plus the best kids theatre shows<\/a> and best musicals on tour UK<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! is the West End\u2019s newest slash hit. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":53122,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder-review-bloody-good-fun-with-a-poignant-message.png",2119,1413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder-review-bloody-good-fun-with-a-poignant-message-150x150.png",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder-review-bloody-good-fun-with-a-poignant-message-300x200.png",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder-review-bloody-good-fun-with-a-poignant-message-768x512.png",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder-review-bloody-good-fun-with-a-poignant-message-1024x683.png",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder-review-bloody-good-fun-with-a-poignant-message-1536x1024.png",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2024\/06\/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder-review-bloody-good-fun-with-a-poignant-message-2048x1366.png",2048,1366,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! is the West End\u2019s newest slash hit.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/53121"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/53122"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}When and where can I see Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"Kathy](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2024\/06\/Bronte-Barbe-Kathy-and-Rebekah-Hinds-Stella-Pamela-Raith-Photography-95b2ee8.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413\" "\\"Bront\u00e9")
\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>How to get Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! tickets<\/strong><\/h2>\n
","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"