Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder

You know when you see a film or read a book or hear a song, and you finish it with the nagging sense that in years to come you'll be saying "I was there first"? That's precisely how we felt at the end of Kathy & Stella Solve A Murder! when the lights went up.

We saw the final performance at the Festival Fringe, playing to a sell-out crowd. This is a musical about a true-crime podcast run by two best friends in Hull and their adventures when a real-life murder happens on their doorstep, and it's very, very good.

The cast are absolutely phenomenal, as are the musicians, and throughout its runtime you'll hum the songs, try to solve the mysteries as they unfold, laugh, gasp, and maybe shed a tear.

High-quality entertainment like this shouldn't go ignored, and seeing as it's about to go on tour it is clear that, thankfully, this hasn't been. See you next murder? You bet.

(For more reviews, please see @thunderdices on Instagram.)

I'm still buzzing from Kathy and Stella! What an amazing show. Full of high energy, the singing, characters, and storyline had me grinning and laughing all the way through. It's sold out, so if you have a ticket, you are one of the lucky ones!

Hilarious show. Ridiculous yet gorgeously believable, every moment is fully born from the Kathy and Stella world. One particular moment (in the morgue) is one of the best moments I've ever seen on stage. Fabulous cast.

Amazingly catchy songs that I want to listen to again and again, and incredibly high level of singing and staging. Excellent comic acting with hilarious voices.

Very much enjoyed this show. Excellent performances all round - vocally very strong and swapping characters with ease and conviction. All the singing was very good with full energy throughout and that will take some stamina to keep going for a full run.

Good humour and story - overall a very well-written piece (sadly lacking in many shows these days - but not this one). Great choreography too - loved the use of the swivel chairs.

I enjoyed the music and the live band too. Only criticism is that the show is run a bit too loud overall and some of the words occasionally get lost as a result. I could easily come down a bit in level without losing impact and would improve clarity.

A minor note though in what was otherwise and excellent production.

I'm only annoyed at the show because it was the first thing I saw and it set an impossible bar for others to clean. Superb songs, great staging, fab acting and hilarious throughout. Kathy and Stella killed.

Absolutely brilliant, loved every minute

I loved this show and it is in my top recommendations!
Good original songs, a great cast, and an interesting story and a heart warming message. This is a top end Fringe show at a very good price, no wonder it is sold out.

We thought this was generally ok, but not great. But there was nothing in “warnings and additional information”. We took our two children, having checked this. There was strong language throughout and this should have been flagged before booking tickets. Very frequent f, some s and others.

Brilliant, polished and great entertainment. It was difficult to choose the star performance, but Ai think Kathy edged-it at our show by a whisker. Great fun and very clever.

Great show, professionally done. Thankfully anything I misheard, could be double checked on the audio description. I didn't leave remembering any songs...definitely needed catchier numbers! Overall, recommend but sold out.

I was gutted last year because I couldn't make it to the show so I was delighted to see it returning this year.
Very fun songs and choreography, very high energy
The story is pretty good, though the murderer's reveal is a bit underwhelming
Amazing vocals and acting from all of the cast but Bronté Barbé had to be my favourite. I was very close to the stage and she adds so much to her character with her acting.
Definitely worthy of West End

If you like musicals you'll love this fun, farcical, loud romp of a show. Great singing, fab characters, a live band and a silly story with a heartfelt message too...we all came out smiling! Be sure to get in the queue early, it was a packed audience, as I reckon watching the show from the side seats in the Cow wouldn't be very good.

WOW WOW WOW! This show is absolutely amazing! It has everything - great book, great songs, super clever lyrics and an incredible cast and creative team! Also there are some phenomenal vocal performances and super high quality and hilarious acting going on! We are so pleased we went to see this - by far the best thing was saw in the fringe, no wonder it is such a hit amongst viewers. Do yourselves a massive favour and go and see it!

THIS WAS EPIC! As someone who does not really follow the true crime podcast world, I still loved it! A highlight of my fringe. Every single actor was incredible, and it felt like I was at the West End. I'm counting down the days until this becomes a reality and I will be taking everyone to see it! Need the soundtrack now :)

A big glossy musical stars in the big purple cow but this time it is not a 'Six'.
A cast of eight and a four piece band perform a farcical tale of two podcast losers who think they can solve the murder of a famous crime novelist.
Decent singing voices but the whole show was so over-amplified it affected audibility (and our eardrums). ***

This is a show that has more 'west end' vibes than edinburgh fringe. But very, very, good West-end vibes (and trust me, I grew up in London and have seen Wicked A LOT).

The songs are catchy, the story's good, with a nice message. The jokes and quirks of the show are great. I'm going to see it again with my sister who I know will love it. And for 12 quid for a good veiw regardless, it was a bargin compared to the 100 quid you might have to pay if it ever makes it down south.

Only thing I will say is the music as you come in, and to a lesser extend through the show, is too loud. I'd suggest to bring plugs, but then the voices are quieter, so you can't hear what's being said when you have the plugs in. Makes it a bit difficult if you're sensitive to sound or trying not to destory your hearing :/

Edinburgh Fringe exposes the separation between the reallllly good pro shows from the lesser so like nowhere else and boy, is this show a reallllllly great show! Slick, funny, beautifully staged, absolutely ridiculously amazing singing; it has it all. Grab yourself a ticket if there are any left!

Not for me or the two people I went with. Deafening music, thumping out before it started and then the first 5-10 minutes being really loud singing, couldn’t make out a word. Good acting and singing but just noisy and chaotic. Would have walked out if I wasn’t so close to stage.

Absolutely wonderful show from start to finish! I recommend everyone see it!
I really hope that this show gets the recognition and exposure it deserves so that I can see it again. Would love the soundtrack to be available somewhere too!

The best show we watched, it’s absolutely ready for the West End - go watch it! And please release it on Spotify ASAP!

What a great show!! Loved it from start to finish - full of energy, a very talented cast who worked brilliantly together - great to have a live band on stage which really added to the atmosphere - best show I saw in Edinburgh last week - go see!

Fantastic singing voices, and a great story which managed to be both hilarious and touching on serious themes around friendships and personal growth. Loved it!

Well, I can’t remember the last time I cried with laughter like this. The murder musical with it all. So well written. Achingly funny. Great songs. A cast who sing like professionals and a terrific band.
A brilliant, slick, we’ll choreographed and hilarious tale of two wannabe amateur sleuths from Hull (it’s on the BBC weather in the middle of England on the right), supported by a very gifted cast playing multiple characters.

A standing ovation at the end said it all. Go. And wear the aftershow badge with pride!

This show was brilliant. Amazing stars with fantastic voices. We want to see more! We loved it!

5/5
A high-quality production of a musical full of action, crime, mystery, charm, and laughter.

A must-watch for True Crime fans. Great music, performances and story. Recommended!

A must see at the fringe!

Go see this show! So damn good! The music, acting, voices, lights, all of it stellar. Don’t miss this one!

10/10! Really fun show with wonderful performances from everyone involved, fun characters, and catchy tunes. I highly recommend it.

Absolutely amazing - a must see. Hilarious throughout, amazing performances from across the entire cast. Stunning vocals, perfect acting, fun choreography, extremely well coordinated lighting, the band absolutely smashed it. Cannot praise it enough. 10/10 will be seeing again.

Absolutely detest musicals normally, School of Rock being the exception (must see btw) but took a punt on this having no knowledge it had been on before. Was just looking for some entertaining comedy on the first day preview of the Fringe and boy I wasn't disappointed. The whole spectacle was funny from start to end, madcap mayhem at its best. The singing was pitch perfect and the comedy acting and timing was perfect. Deserved the standing ovation they received at the end. A deffo must see