Get a ticket! You’ll laugh your socks off. My shoulders took on a life of their own as I smirked and giggled my way through this totally absurd storyline with larger-than-life characters all brilliantly played by a quality cast. The title tells you what to expect: it’s Enid Blyton on steroids. Best friends murder-mystery capers gone viral.
Imelda Warren-Green is hilarious as Erica and you can’t fault Jodie Jacobs in her many incarnations of Felicia Taylor and her family. TJ Lloyd can move it and plays the morgue-happy Justin (plus others) with joyous enthusiasm and a sweetness which warms the heart. The two leads, Kathy (Bronté Barbé) and Stella (Rebekah Hinds) complement one another as opposites attracted through their misfit natures. Costumed to reflect this dichotomy by Cecilia Carey, they exude quirkiness – one a mousy fish-out-of-water, the other a nonconformist fishnet-type of girl.
The lyrics and storyline are daft, thanks to the talents of Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones. Who doesn’t like daft? The actual subject matter is serious – miscarriages of justice, murder, feeling a failure, disappointment when image doesn’t match reality, and the musical treatment is wonderfully absurd. A guitarist, two pianists and a drummer keep the momentum flowing. The choreography is fun and fluid (Fabian Aloise). It is a huge pressure valve to laugh at ourselves and our darker aspects.
This is Kathy and Stella’s second year solving this particular murder at the Edinburgh Fringe. The Udderbelly seats 410. It was full. Because this musical comedy is funny, and the word is out. Playing until the 27th August, https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder
It goes to Bristol Old Vic and then Home, Manchester, after the Edinburgh run. Seriously, get a ticket, if you can!
Reviewer: Kathleen Mansfield
Reviewed: 7th August 2023
North West End UK Rating:
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