Review Roundup: KATHY AND STELLA SOLVE A MURDER! Opens in the West End

The murder mystery musical Kathy and Stella Solve A Murder! is currently running at the Ambassadors Theatre in the West End where it will play a  strictly limited season until 14 September after thrilling audiences in Edinburgh, Bristol  and Manchester. 

Reprising their roles from the original production, Bronté Barbé (Newsies, Troubadour  Wembley Park Theatre) plays Kathy, Rebekah Hinds (Oklahoma! Young Vic/ West End)  is Stella and Imelda Warren-Green (Doctor Who: Time Fracture, Immersive LDN) is  Erica+. They are joined by Elliot Broadfoot (I Should Be So Lucky, UK Tour ) as Justin+,  Hannah-Jane Fox (Close-Up, the Twiggy Musical, Menier Chocolate Factory) as Felicia,  Elliotte Williams-N'Dure (Moulin Rouge, West End) as DI Sue Shaw+ and Ben Redfern (The Witches, National Theatre) as David Slatter+. The West End company is completed  by Jennifer Caldwell (Six the Musical, UK Tour), Chelsea Hall (Bring It On the Musical,  UK Tour) and Sorelle Marsh (The Time Traveller’s Wife, West End and Storyhouse,  Chester). Musicians will be Andrew Hilton (Musical Director / Keys 1), Catherine Benson  (Associate Musical Director / Keys 2), Laura Browne (Guitar) and Philip Williams (Drums).  

See what the critics are saying...

Alice Cope, BroadwayWorld.com: Bronté Barbé and Rebekah Hinds as Kathy and Stella respectively have terrific chemistry; their little jokes, cultural references and mannerisms are those of a long term friendship and played with ease which quickly bring the audience into their inner circle. The two friends overcoming their own obstacles and working through their loving but codependent relationship struggles is both engaging and heartwarming.

Holly O'Mahony , The Stage: 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. Barbé’s nervy sweetness offsets Hinds’ dry humour and together they have this vehicle running like a well-oiled machine. Elliot Broadfoot is always watchable, flip-flopping between playing Kathy’s doting mother Vanessa and morgue worker Justin. And Elliotte Williams-N’Dure is very good as the downbeat, exasperated Detective Inspector Sue Shaw.

Marianka Swain, London Theatre: The show is buoyantly funny, teeming with macabre gags and Victoria Wood-esque specific one-liners, the pop-infused songs are instantly catchy (I keep humming “We’re Gonna Wow Felicia Taylor”), and there are narrative twists a-plenty. However, the suspects aren’t filled out enough to make guessing whodunit truly satisfying, and it lacks a killer Agatha Christie-level denouement (her enduring The Mousetrap sits next door).

Nick Curtis, The Standard: As the titular, dysfunctional best friends who host a weekly murder podcast from a garage near Hull, Bronté Barbé and Rebekah Hinds sell the songs and the broad jokes better than they deserve. The whole thing has a rough and robust zest that doubtless helped it rise above the dross on the Edinburgh Fringe. But in the more rarefied atmosphere of the West End the constant barrage of gurning and caterwauling is a major turn-off.

Average Rating: 57.5%