Hot Mess

The Other Palace

The Earth may be a 'hot mess', but this musical is NOT. It's just getting to the sweet spot of brilliant theatre, the songs are great, the jokes are ongoing, and the cast is INCREDIBLE.

Watching this show, IN THE MIDDLE OF A HEATWAVE, really does highlight the message of 'Hot Mess'. The gravity of this musical is heavy, and it engages the audience with its clever wit and catchy songs. This musical is a force of good!

Since watching this musical at Southwark Playhouse Elephant last Autumn, I've had a couple of the songs on my playlist, because they stuck with me. Something about this show, now playing at The Other Palace, has made it even stronger and charming. It seems to bring the audience in closer, gets them to love the two characters and to side with Earth, which, of course, is the aim!

There is something animated about this piece. The bright colours and bold costumes aren't the only things that make this show feel like a cartoon. There's quirky humour, puns and iconic choreography by Alexzandra Sarmiento. Each piece of choreography helps enhance the story. Each movement sequence has such a clear distinction between each movement quality; the character radiates off the performers, and there's such a beautiful fusion between the two actors' styles. There are so many great minds that have put this show so carefully together, piece by piece. You need to see this over and over again to note down each choice. There are so many. It is so clear that there is a reason why each element of the show is there, the colours, the words, the movements, everything, it's there to symbolise a piece of information. 'Hot Mess' is not just a show, it's a movement. Bold statement, I know, but stick with me here. It's not just a story written by Ellie Coote, with music and lyrics by Jack Godfrey. It's a well-thought-out way of getting humanity to change its ways and care for the planet, without just sitting the audience down and listing facts. The audience is humanity. What better way to make people care more than personifying our planet, turning the information into a relatable story and playing with our emotions through the magic of theatre. Its meaning and the care that has moulded each element together is what makes this musical so strong.

Danielle Steers is such an energy. Since seeing her in this role before, it feels like she has strengthened her performance. There's so much precision in her movements, confidence and the girl power is divine. 'Earth' is an important role and quite a big one; you can't just give a little bit of energy, you have to go all-in and have power. Steers does this effortlessly. Her vocals are so addictive; she has this ability to give such a variety with her vocals, especially when there is so much repetition. It feels she doesn't just get comfortable with the songs; she pushes her vocals to paint a more intricate and stylised picture for the audience. Listening to the cast recording and comparing it to her performance of the role now is so interesting. You sit there and think, 'Could her voice get any better than this?' Yes. Yes, it can. She is a fire that keeps growing. A huge warm welcome to our new 'Humanity' played by Morgan Gregory. I am so excited by how perfect he is for this role. He brings an adorable excitement to the character, a lovable personality and vulnerability. Not just that, Gregory is a great performer to match Steers; their chemistry is burning hot, their voices match beautifully, and their vocals are off the charts. I was gobsmacked at so many of the songs. These two together are indeed an on-stage POWER COUPLE and DREAM TEAM. Their comic timing, characterisation, and full commitment to their characters make for a decadent performance.

'Hot Mess' is a growing sensation; it's so close to being something truly magical, and it's modern in a way that makes you laugh and not cringe. It does feel a little bit long at the end, the last section feels like it drags on, and the audience craves something to keep them fully sucked in to the story. Whilst it finishes with many puns, it feels like there should be something more, visibly poignant at the end, because the ending is sad, and you don't want to lose the devastation of the ending. This is a serious piece displayed in a non-serious, relatable form, and it has to be impossible not to leave the theatre with one of the tunes stuck in your head. Come on, you readers who've seen it before, I know you've got at least one of these songs on your musical playlist, don't be shy. I strongly urge you to watch this show; it's hard not to fall in love with it, and it does make you want to do better for our beautiful planet Earth.