Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder - US Adaptation/Revision

[ggersten]

Posted: 10/26/25 at 10:26pm

It was just an "industry presentation", so it may never go anywhere. This was a Fringe show, expanded to a West End run - which I saw and thought it was mostly charming but a trifle.  You could have a worse evening.

While there were definitely UK references, I don't think it would be that difficult to effectively change the venue to Duluth.  But, I fear that they may try to go the Fargo route with exaggerated accents - and that might detract. The cast for the reading/workshop also seems larger than I recall in the West End cast. So, this appears to be more than just shifting the setting and some alterations to accomodate the change in setting.

The presentation was back on 17 October - anyone here hear anything

Kathy & Stella Solve A Murder but in Minnesota

[BoringBoredBoard40]

Posted: 10/27/25 at 1:43am

I was there

it was...messy. they sliced a 2 act into a 90 minute show and then taught it to a brand new cast who have never touched the material in 29 hours and translated it into the midwest.

it has potential to be a funny satire of the true crime podcast scene but it needs so much work to get there

[Amy Archer]

Posted: 10/27/25 at 8:54am

I was also there and had the opposite reaction. I also had seen it in London, where I thought it was fun, but couldn't sustain its plot for two acts. The only issue to me now is that what had been the Act 1 finale still plays like an Act 1 finale. Otherwise, in the best possible sense, I thought an American cast made it (in George Abbott's adage), louder, faster, funnier. It was no messier than any other 29-hour reading I've been to, and the cast was quite accomplished and seemed surprisingly comfortable to me. Particularly enjoyed Bonnie Milligan, Natalie Joy Johnson and Ann Harada, but all were strong. They only did a Minnesota accent for the dad.