Young, blue-green and beautiful Earth is desperately looking for her one true love. The newly evolved single-celled organisms don’t do anything for her and T-Rex meets an untimely end before the relationship can even take off. It’s a few billion years of waiting impatiently, then Humanity turns up and sweeps her off her feet. Their relationship starts sweet before becoming passionate, fiery and chaotic. Humanity is ambitious, sees potential in what Earth has to offer him and throws himself into discovering fire, inventing the wheel, and then finding Earth’s deepest treasures to exploit. Earth warns him of the dangers of exploiting her resources, but the downwards spiral into a hot mess of a break-up is inevitable. Will Earth and Humanity endure, either together or separately or are they heading for an apocalyptic demise?
Danielle Steers is a fabulously feisty Earth and Morgan Gregory’s Humanity gives the initially shy and uncertain Humanity a depth of credibility as he evolves through time. Both have wonderful, sharply soaring vocals, infusing Jack Godfrey’s pop songs with verve and hummability. The three-piece band of Sara de Sanctis on keys, and guitarists Leo Aram-Downs and Sam Ward provides excellent backing. Shankho Chaudhuri’s set is a great evocation of some of Earth’s best features and Ryan Joseph Stafford’s lighting adds perfect accents to the increasing chaos.
Written and directed by Ellie Coote, Hot Mess is hilariously funny, witty and original, with great one-liners and naughty comedic bits, but carries a serious lesson on the dangers of the ever-increasing use of Earth’s resources despite her obvious warnings of impending disaster. A show that will make you laugh and make you think.
Hot Mess has already won a slew of awards and wowed audiences at the Edinburgh Festival. It’s likely to win a few more.
Hot Mess: A New Musical is playing at The Other Palace Theatre, Palace Street, London, until 6th September. Tickets are on sale from: https://theotherpalace.co.uk/
Reviewer: Carole Gordon
Reviewed: 1st July 2026
North West End UK Rating: