Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder! at the Ambassadors Theatre

So much fun it's a crime! I cannot recommend this show enough and I hope I can return before its run at the Ambassador’s Theatre closes on the 14th of September. From witty banter to honest emotion and back to laugh-out-loud fun, this show truly has it all!

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD*

My Review:

The prologue, whilst short, truly sets the pace of the whole show with a tense opening that soon relaxes into the comedic nature of the show introducing the ensemble and leading beautifully into Kathy & Stella's Murder Podcast. This is where we are first introduced to Kathy Baxter played by Bronté Barbé and Stella Carmichael played by Rebekah Hinds, the spectacular, true-crime-loving duo that brilliantly leads this refreshing show. They are supported throughout perfectly by the ensemble comprised of Elliot Broafoot as Justin Norris/Vanessa Baxter, Hannah-Jane Fox as Felicia Taylor, Ben Redfern as David Slater, Imelda Warren-green as Erica Knott/Frankie Carmichael and Elliotte Williams-N'Dure as Detective Inspector Sue Shaw. The whole ensemble has individual roles as well as coming together to form the ensemble. Their various roles throughout the show are signified by costume changes or alterations that, whilst sometimes subtle and other times far more obvious, do a brilliant job of making the audience aware of who is who throughout the show. Despite what the EP of this show may suggest, it is actually majority song-based, which was certainly a pleasant surprise, and there was not one song during this show that I did not absolutely love, they were all incredibly catchy and witty. Some of my notable favourites were True Crime Famous and If I Did It, due to their perfect choreography and extremely catchy nature. True Crime Famous is brilliantly led by Hannah-Jane Fox as Felicia Taylor, the egotistical true crime writer. The subtleties of her true nature start to seep through the cracks of this song, beginning to set the tone for the following events of the show. Hannah-Jane Fox is a joy throughout the show and her later appearances had the audience in stitches every time. If I Didn't Have You (I Would Die) for all its comedic moments, is a beautiful expression of the friendship between Kathy & Stella, highlighting the strength of friendship and giving us further insight into why the podcast is so important to them. Part of the Story conveys the excitement of Kathy & Stella to be involved in a true crime case of their own, Bronté Barbé and Rebekah Hinds are fabulous at this moment as they are throughout the show. With the subtle conversations and frequent misunderstandings causing them to jump to conclusions, this is a fun yet important moment bringing about one of the forefront plotlines of this show. F**K! We Don't Know What We're Doing is an incredibly comedic moment in this comedy-filled show as we watch Kathy & Stella grapple with the difficulty of solving a case of their own and come to the realisation at this moment that they may have overestimated their abilities yet they still persevere. Never Felt So Alive allows us to see Kathy come out of her shell more, whilst also highlighting the amazing voice of Elliot Broadfoot as Justin Norris. The Approval of Strangers shows the power of approval and the impact it may have upon someone, leading to If I Did It as Kathy & Stella continue to investigate. If I Did It is led by Ben Redfern, who is astonishing in this song as David Slater providing a sense of immense bravado whilst simultaneously swapping to being suspicious and overwhelming for Kathy & Stella. The allusions to possible confessions throughout had the constant stitches due to David Slater's characterisation. Act 1 ends with Guilty as Sin, which follows suit of all of the songs in this show of being insanely catchy. This ending ties up Act 1 brilliantly, whilst also starting to lead into Act 2, causing the audience to enter the interval on edge and questioning what may happen during Act 2.

Act 2 begins with Read About a Murder, which provides a trip to the past for the audience to learn about how Kathy & Stella came to be friends through their shared love of true crime, first discovered whilst reading Felicia Taylor, which feels like a perfect full circle moment. Murder Con whisks the audience back to the present day as the end of Act 1 and the consequences of their actions must finally be faced by Kathy & Stella. Can't Trust Anyone employs the brilliant use of choreography and sets to paint anyone as the killer. This impactful scene was one of my favourite moments as the seamless transition from character to character using the Murder Con boards was a brilliant method to highlight suspects and suggest no one is who they truly claim to be. Elliotte Williams-N'Dure as Detective Inspector Sue Shaw delivers a powerful solo in Sue's Song as she reflects on wanting to do what is right and having to accept the consequences of her actions. She is phenomenal, her voice and characterisation blew me away as I truly understood the reasoning behind the actions of Detective Inspector Sue Shaw throughout the show. The One Whodunnit shows the incredible voice and characterisation of Imelda Warren-Green as Erica Knott where the audience finally discovers the truth of the show. Imelda truly steals the show at this moment, which is a testament to her talent due to her ability to allow her character to slip through the cracks throughout making the final revelation all the more shocking. The show ends with See You Next Murder... which truly is the perfect ending, tying this show together using the brilliance of a full circle moment, as every Kathy & Stella podcast ends saying See you Next Murder!

Content Warnings:

The theatre has content warnings displayed throughout, which are as follows:

Flashing lights
Strobe
Haze
Strong Language

The show has an age rating of 12+ and based on the language that is used throughout as well as the content of the show I do feel that this is a well-advised rating.

There were moments during this show that I noted may possibly affect audience members, which are as follows:

There are some tense moments during the show that do build suspense before the comedic relief that is provided and I did feel some sense of stress during these moments
Confetti canons are used by the cast during a moment in the show but this is made clear as they reveal the confetti canons before they are set off
The show briefly alludes to sensitive topics due to the nature of it being based around true-crime

Thank you for taking the time to read and I hope this review has proved interesting and helpful for you :)

- AnxiousTheatregoer