Theatre
Review
Review: Hot Mess
The new pop musical at the Other Palace is both a timely warning and a big laugh
This is the catchiest nihilism you’ll ever hear. Hot Mess, the new musical that took the Edinburgh Fringe by storm, has landed at the Other Palace, and it brings with it some uncomfortable truths. But also in tow are a barrage of original pop numbers, a lot of double entendre, and a sexy dinosaur. It’s all going rapidly downhill, say writers Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote. Grab a drink!
It’s been a long time, and the Earth (Danielle Steele) is looking for her next relationship. She’s still mourning her ex, the T-Rex, with whom things ended rather suddenly, and when Humanity (Morgan Gregory) turns up, he isn’t quite the apex predator she’s been hoping for. But there’s more to Humanity than his hunting capabilities, and with Earth’s guidance, he starts to learn, creative and innovate like no species has before. It isn’t long, though, before Humanity’s demanding more of Earth than she can give, and it’s all getting the wrong kind of heated.
It’s a simple premise, and Godfrey and Coote are smart enough not to overinflate it, sticking to just a handful of catchy numbers and a slick book, with the show clocking in at a tight ninety minutes. There’s lots of winking going on here – real mileage is got out of the words ‘shrubbery’, ‘drainage’ and especially ‘ploughing’. “Why I am I flat?” Earth demands, when she sees Humanity’s first attempt at a map. When he discovers his first fossilised dinosaur footprint and feels inadequate, she comforts him with – what else? – “Size isn’t everything.” When she decides to open up her reserves of coal and iron, there’s even a sex scene.
Wordplay aside, Steele and Gregory are entirely convincing as a couple running on fumes, two people who just about remember why they got together but are buying time to fix something that can’t be fixed. “I’m gonna figure it all out tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow,” is Humanity’s cheerful refrain as Earth begs for more sustainable solutions. Shankho Chaudhuri’s set, cheerfully simple, gets gradually more cluttered as time goes on, Humanity’s junk crowding the stage. He delivers three binders’ worth of ‘pledges’ to her, all empty words, sports embarrassing t-shirts with her face on them, but is still obsessed with exerting his control over her. Eventually, she snaps, reminding him who really has the power.
On paper it’s somewhat of a dark conclusion: we won’t learn from the error of our ways, there’s no going back now, and our planet would be far better off without us. But Godfrey and Coote manage to end on a light-hearted note by promising a bright future for Earth, the only character in the story we really care about. We might be abusing our planet and killing ourselves, but that’s alright – her post-extinction glow-up will be magnificent.
Hot Mess is playing at the Other Palace until 6 September – find tickets here
