Rating: ★★★★★
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London
Cast: Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley
After a billion years of bad dates, Earth has finally found the one… Humanity. Sparks fly. Technology flourishes. Wheat is harvested. But what begins as a passionate love affair between the universe’s most iconic couple quickly descends into a hot mess.
From the creative duo behind ’42 Balloons’, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, comes a new original pop musical. All about love, hope, and the ultimate break up.
Coming off its highly acclaimed sold-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe, Hot Mess the musical has just opened its limited run at the Southwark Playhouse Elephant, with tickets already selling fast. The show is a 2-hand, 65 minute, almost fully sung through modern day pop musical that personifies the earth and human race and romanticises the relationship between them. Danielle Steers as ‘Earth’ and Tobias Turley as ‘Humanity’ could not have been more perfect casting. Their on-stage chemistry is essential to carrying the story and we watch the relationship turn toxic as Humanity begins to put his own needs ahead of Earth’s.
Ellie Coote’s book is entertaining, humorous and cleverly written, highlighting some real, and very important issues and confronting some harsh truths, while keeping it light and fun to watch. It makes you want to take a long hard look at ourselves as a human race and confront the damage we have done and still continue to cause to the natural world.
The majority of this story is told through song (and plenty of comedic puns), and Jack Godfrey’s lyrics are absolute genius, in equal parts both hilarious and heartbreaking. The music is a cross between pop and musical theatre, it’s catchy and entertaining with a very contemporary edge without losing the qualities that make traditional musical theatre work so well. Danielle Steers may play the role of ‘Earth’ but she’s still an absolute queen. Godfrey’s original songs show off her incredible vocal range and the depth and strength her voice possesses.
Shankho Chaudhuri’s set design is simple but effective, giving the pair plenty of room to play. We watch the costume colour palettes shift throughout the story, reflecting seasons, different parts of nature, and the way Earth starts to lose herself and her naturality to Humanity’s overzealous attempts at ‘improving’ the world.
This is a production that leaves you thinking, as well as humming along to the songs for days afterwards. I enjoyed every moment of this show and smiled the entire way through. It’s fast-paced, funny, and tugs on the heartstrings; an easy watch made out of a complicated concept. I really hope to see this show go as far as it deserves to, starting with a full cast album to follow the three songs that are currently available. Grab your tickets now and be one of the first to see this show before becomes the next big thing.
You can book tickets to see Hot Mess, here.
Review by Rachel
**photo credit: Helen Murray**
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