13 – 30 September
Last night we had a lesson in not judging a book by its cover, or more pertinently, a play by its title. I confess to having anticipated a fringe show gone mainstream, with all the jolly rough-and-readiness that the best examples often have. Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! is nothing of the sort: it is as grown-up a piece of musical theatre as one could hope to pass the time with. From the masterful direction, thumping tunes, snazzy lighting of a clever setting and nothing short of brilliant acting and singing from the whole cast, the show is a joy from beginning to end. The murder mystery title, whilst fulfilling expectation, has no hint of a play that is actually about friendship, the tainted cup of celebrity, truth and having the courage and determination to be the kind of person you want to be.
Besties Kathy (Bronté Barbé) and Stella (Rebekah Hinds) are a couple of misfits who bond at school over a shared fascination for lurid true-crime stories. This leads them to start a true-crime podcast a few years later and when their favourite crime author, Felicia (Jodie Jacobs) is brutally murdered after a book launch they find themselves – as the last people to see the victim alive – in the heart of a real investigation. Plot twists, tussles with the police (Jodie Jacobs again) and a crew of helpers in the form of an old school pal, Justin (TJ Lloyd) and a podcast fan, Erica (Imelda Warren-Green) keep the sleuthing going at a breathless pace.
Writer/ co-director, Jon Brittain and co-director/ choreographer, Fabian Aloise, cram action and detail into every moment. The music and lyrics of Matthew Floyd Jones encourage full-bore singing from the whole cast. The songs never hold up the action, but drive it forward whilst allowing characters to be developed and rounded out. Stella, leather jacketed with in-your-face red garters has a haughty swagger that hides a sensitive character who succumbs to the approval of strangers as their podcast goes viral. The apparently more sensitive Kathy, whose loose silk clothes would likely smell of patchouli and incense, actually finds her calling in the morgue; amongst the dead she comes alive.
The whole production feels finely wrought. The musical numbers, whilst not designed to be sing-along catchy, give each of the characters the opportunity to shine in a showstopper delivered with conviction. The onstage band under the direction of Mr Floyd Jones delivers all the power of a rock opera.
★★★★★ Graham Wyles, 20 September 2023
Photo credit: Ellie Kurttz
