The beauty of this show is in its nuanced dialogue – environmentalism is a touchy subject, and can (and often does) lead to conflict, and not the healthy sort that could be explained away in a show as dramatic tension. Here, Earth (Mia Quimpo at the performance I attended) is dismissive of ‘net zero’, a strategy devised by Humanity (Morgan Gregory) to combat the problems Earth has been carping on at him about for some time. Just that alone is enough to galvanise those who think net zero (whatever that is: we don’t find out, because Earth doesn’t want to hear about it) is a waste of time and money, whilst making its supporters ponder on whether it is going to be enough to restore environmental equilibrium.
The story flips between historical and present reality, what could feasibly happen in the future, and the realm of science fiction. On paper, then, it’s all over the place. But it deftly walks a tightrope between the seriousness of climate change and its cumulative effects, which just so happened to be in evidence in the form of a heatwave in Britain on the night, and presenting its story in a fun and engaging manner.
I was quite impressed at not being preached to: nothing in the musical numbers or the spoken dialogue felt like a lecture or a sermon. Presented as a musical romantic comedy, what starts as a relationship of give and take, somewhat predictably eventually turns sour after Humanity starts using up fossil fuels far faster than they could be replaced. Again, presenting the history of Homo sapiens and the planet as a romance seems far fetched at face value, but this is one of those shows that has to be seen to be believed.
Gregory’s Humanity is almost annoyingly positive. Like a politician trying to win an election, he tries to woo Earth into going with his plans. Things will get better. Future technologies will come along and improve things for everyone and for the planet. But there’s a likeability about him – perhaps catchy and pacy musical numbers with decent and deft dancing helps, especially for those who love a good musical. And he’s relatable – the amount of overtime he puts in also becomes a concern to Earth, and some subtle but nonetheless effective references to being a workaholic provide pause for thought.
Topical by default as well as by design, Hot Mess should be a hot ticket, tackling some pertinent contemporary issues from different angles to save the audience with a rounded picture as to how we got here – and how we could end up. An utter delight from start to finish.
Review by Chris Omaweng
After a billion years of bad dates, Earth has finally found the one: Hu-manity. Sparks fly. Seeds are sown. Ground is broken. But what starts as a passionate love affair between the universe’s most iconic couple soon spirals into a spectacularly messy breakup.
CAST
Danielle Steers as Earth
Morgan Gregory as Humanity
Mia Quimpo as Cover Earth
Nathan Shaw as Cover Humanity
CREATIVES
Jack Godfrey – Music, Lyrics and Co-Orchestrations
Ellie Coote – Book and Direction
Joe Beighton – Music Supervisor and Co-Orchestrator
Alexzandra Sarmiento – Choreographer
Sara De Sanctis – Musical Director
Shanko Chaudhuri – Set Designer
Ryan Joseph Stafford – Lighting Designer
Paul Gatehouse – Audio Production and Sound Design
Sarah Mercadé – Costume Designer
Pearson Casting CDG – Casting Director
Deirdre O’Halloran – Dramaturg
Lex Kaby – Intimacy Director
HOT MESS
The Other Palace
13 June to 6 September 2026
