| Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! | |
| Music: | Matthew Floyd Jones |
| Lyrics: | Jon Brittain & Matthew Floyd Jones |
| Premiere Location: | Summerhall, Edinburgh |
| Productions: | 2022 Edinburgh Fringe 2023 UK Tour 2024 West End |
| Awards: | 2022 Musical Theatre Review Award for Best Musical |
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 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]
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]
| Role | Edinburgh Fringe[9] | UK Tour | West End |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | |||
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.