Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! Review Round-up | West End Theatre (2024)

"This musical about a pair of amateur true crime podcasters who turn detective is deliciously bonkers"

"This wildly fun show – which arrives in the West End after acclaimed runs in Edinburgh, Manchester and Bristol – ingeniously yokes the breathlessness of the true crime podcast genre to the big emotions of a musical. And with a huge wink at the audience, co-creators Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones give us some killer lyrics."

"Brittain, together with the show’s co-director and choreographer Fabian Aloise, gives us a blaze of colour and inventive set-pieces. These whirl deliciously through the various visual cliches of potboiler detective fiction as filtered through loving parodies of Big Musical Moments. This is reflected in the whip-sharp book and lyrics, in which Brittain and Floyd also give us an affectionately wry snapshot of the clamour of internet-era fandom."

"With hilarious double-takes firmly rooted in character, Kathy and Stella pop off the stage. The rest of the ensemble cast are a blast."

"The propulsive energy slightly dissipates. But this production deserves to be a hit. Never less than abundantly creative, funny and musically dextrous, Kathy and Stella's exploits will absolutely slay you."

Don't miss this genuinely hilarious musical that somehow manages to be witty, crazy, touching and totally insane, sometimes all at the same time!

Bronté Barbé as Kathy, Rebekah Hinds as Stella & the whole cast are killer

A must-see!

"Knowingly silly, slyly funny story"

"Madcap murder-mystery musical offers a shot of rock’n’roll escapism"

"Brittain and Fabian Aloise’s production is a shot of rock’n’roll escapism that capitalises on our collective fixation with true crime. It’s a knowingly silly, slyly funny story about a pair of murder podcasters attempting to crack a case ahead of the police."

"Seven high-octane performers pour humour and vivacity into the show. Barbé and Hinds are a strong double act with yin-yang energy and impressive vocal ranges."

"In an age when so many of us are obsessed with true crime, where it’s not unthinkable that some would hand over evidence to their favourite podcast hosts before the police, Brittain and Floyd Jones’ musical is oddly relatable. Overall, though, it’s a loveable story about friendship between two misfits."

"The comedic show is a certified homicidal hoot"

"The premise here is fun and quirky"

"Like most murder mysteries, act one is the slower of the two – inevitably having to go through the motions introducing us to every possible suspect. It is accompanied by some amiable tunes courtesy of Floyd Jones, though hampered slightly by sound design that throws away some likely cracking lines and lyrics. The second half is about as pacy and as raucous as they come, and Kathy and Stella hits its stride as each ludicrous revelation lands – it’s where co-directors Brittain and Fabian Aloise (who also choreographs) really show off their talents."

"Mischievous musical satirises true-crime mania"

"A cheerful send-up of podcasting, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit comes to London"

"... Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder, a daft and delightful comedy musical"

"Shy, reclusive Kathy and bolshie, outspoken Stella — Bronté Barbé and Rebekah Hinds, both excellent — are struggling to break through from their makeshift studio in Kathy’s mum’s garage."

"The whole thing is delivered with jaunty tongue-in-cheek flair, as the style ricochets from melodramatic excess to moments of genuine pathos. Matthew Floyd Jones’s songs bring a droll, down-to-earth northern twist to musical staples"

"It’s over-amplified — to the point where lyrics become inaudible — and somewhat oversold. It feels as though it’s pushing too hard when it doesn’t need to; the most effective scenes are often the quietest."

"At its best, however, this is still a hugely likeable, self-deprecating piece, bubbling with mischievous energy and carried by two cracking central performances."

"A slapdash spoof of the true crime genre"

"There is a robust zest that helped it stand out at the Edinburgh Fringe but in the West End, the barrage of gurning and caterwauling is a major turn-off"

"Perhaps there is a God, I thought, as this oafish musical was cancelled due to an onstage flood halfway through its original press night. But here it is again: a slapdash spoof of the true crime genre – and of the more sinister growth in amateur sleuthing – that knowingly asks you to laugh along with its ridiculous storyline, f*ckless lead characters and bland, belted-out score."

"The acting is all wildly exaggerated, and volume utterly trumps nuance in the songs. Above all, it feels as if the story is being made up as the show goes along, in a vague attempt to link the arch, mundane, pop-rock numbers. The title of one of these, ‘F*ck! We Don’t Know What We’re Doing’, just about sums it up."

👤News Team 📅10 June 2024
Tags: Ambassadors Theatre, Bronté Barbé, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, Rebekah Hinds