Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!, the murder mystery musical that took the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by storm in 2022, will return for an expanded version this year.
The piece tells the story of BFFs Kathy and Stella, who host Hull’s least successful true-crime podcast. When their favorite author is killed, they are thrust into a whodunnit of their own.
The musical, first brought to the stage by Francesca Moody Productions, reunites the writing and musical talents of Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones, who previously collaborated on the critically acclaimed, Fringe First award-winning A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad).
It received a glowing review from WhatsOnStage when it first ran in Edinburgh last summer, with Sarah Crompton saying: “its celebration of supportive female friendship and an overriding sense of inclusive mischief make it very appealing”.
The show will run for four weeks at Underbelly in Edinburgh from 2 August to 27 August before touring to Bristol Old Vic from 13 September to 30 September, and HOME Manchester from 5 October to 21 October.
The original cast, including Bronté Barbé (Newsies), Rebekah Hinds (Oklahoma!), Jodie Jacobs (But I’m A Cheerleader), TJ Lloyd (Guys and Dolls), and Imelda Warren-Green (Little Miss Sunshine), will reprise their roles.
Moody said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Kater Gordon, Wessex Grove, and Fiery Angel to bring back this joyful, irreverent, and side-splittingly funny musical in an expanded, ambitious new version.
“Returning to the Edinburgh Festival always feels like coming home for FMP, and we’re delighted to be able to share Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! with audiences in the Underbelly’s Udderbelly as well as at Bristol Old Vic and HOME, Manchester in the autumn.”
Brittain and Floyd Jones added: “Considering that this has all come from a totally casual lockdown text about true crime fans, we are overwhelmed (and delighted) by how well the show went down last year. Even though a story about two podcasters sounds like it should be small, the show has always been bursting with ideas. So it’s incredibly exciting that we’re now able to scale it up to the next level! And a joy to be reunited with all the friends we made last year – not least our wonderful returning cast. So, people of Edinburgh, Bristol, and Manchester, we’ll see you next murder!”
Tickets for Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder! are on sale now for the Edinburgh and Manchester runs and on sale soon for the Bristol Old Vic run. The show is produced by Francesca Moody Productions, Kater Gordon, Wessex Grove, and Fiery Angel, in association with Underbelly in Edinburgh and in association with Bristol Old Vic on tour.
