It’s become a lifestyle genre; the obsession with and act of inhaling, true crime in all its media forms. Be it by the OGs (in my eyes) of the genre, Netflix, by book or by podcast. And if it makes me basic to be a paid up member of the true crime tribe, then crown me as such.

And if Kathy and Stella’s crime podcast were a thing in this world, I would have subscribed quicker than you can say ‘the owl did it’.

(and if you got that last reference, we can be forever friends).

But who are Kathy and Stella, might you ask? Well now…

BFFs Kathy and Stella host Hull’s least successful true crime podcast. When their favourite author is killed, they are thrust into a thrilling whodunnit of their own! Can they crack the case (and become global podcast superstars) before the killer strikes again…?

Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder is a comedy musical (that phrase can send my spine a tingling, and not in a good way, but reader? I was there for this one…) from the team behind Fleabag.

A seal of approval if ever I heard one.

And it did not disappoint.

As extra as something really extra and as camp as a window, starring Bronte Barbé as Kathy, Rebekah Hinds as Stella, it was 2 hours of surrealism, singing, dancing, decapitation, and death. And it was ace.

I was going to say, and I will actually still say, that it ticked the zeitgeist box perfectly. Podcasts, true crime, the highs and lows of social platform-fame (my favourite song was Approval of Strangers). Yes it is achingly of its time. But ironically, in the opening scenes in Kathy’s mum’s garage, seeing our heroines pumping out their podcast, I was taken back to the 90s. Kathy and Stella are this generation’s Wayne’s World. And I mean that most sincerely (and positively), folks!

And like Wayne’s World, it’s a story of friendship. Two kindred spirits, outliers, who’ve found each other, brought together by a love of all things murder most horrid. But like our 90s nerds Garth and Wayne, could their new-found fame tear them apart? Or will the Decapitator get to them first?!!!

Duh duh duhhhhh.

me

Well I’m not telling you, but in a plot which leads them to meeting their favourite real-crime author Felicia (shortly before she, in turn, meets her maker), a farce does duly ensue. This includes journeys back in time to the girls’ macabre meet-cute, the life events which brought them closer, and back to present day at the high-camp marvel that is MURDERCON!

There are some killer (ahem) lines in the show which had all the audience cackling, some fabulous song and dance numbers, and some wondrous deliveries in which the star of the show threatened to be the magic of the Hull accent. Always a joy to see, the musicians were live on stage (casually secreted amongst the set, and the songs came thick and fast with some fabulous vocals as they were belted out like there’s no tomorrow.

In short, it was a ride from start to finish, and we haven’t even addressed the astoundingly physical feats of Imelda Warren-Green’s facial expressions (which alone deserve to headline their own show).

But don’t take my word for it, as Manchester is being treated to a long-run at HOME theatre, right up until Saturday 21 October.

For all the details and to buy tickets, visit https://homemcr.org/production/kathy-and-stella-solve-a-murder/

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The all-important people and principles

Book and Lyrics by Jon Brittain
Music and Lyrics by Matthew Floyd Jones

Directed by Jon Brittain and Fabian Aloise

Cast – Bronte Barbé as Kathy, Rebekah Hinds as Stella, Jodie Jacobs as Felicia, TJ Lloyd as Justin, Imelda Warren-Green as Erica, with Sarah Pearson and Jacob Kohli completing the ensemble.

Presented by Francesca Moody Productions, Kater Gordon, Wessex Grove and Fiery Angel

For a full list of all the wonderful people behind the production, visit http://kathyandstella.com.