Hot Mess Turns the Planet’s Breakup With Humanity Into The Other Palace’s Funniest Pop Score

Hot Mess | The Other Palace until 6th September 2026

Earth Finally Dumps Humanity and We’re All Better for It. A delightfully bonkers pop musical with real heart underneath the mess.

Hot Mess is a brand new British musical from Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, the team behind 42 Balloons. It tells the story of a passionate, doomed romance between the universe’s most iconic couple, Earth and Humanity, charting their entire relationship in pop songs. From a billion years of bad dates to a whirlwind love affair and, eventually, a spectacularly messy breakup, the musical covers it all.

I particularly enjoy contemporary songwriters creating for musicals, and Godfrey’s other show, 42 Balloons, has played in the regions but has yet to reach London. Hot Mess features a great, truly enjoyable pop score that perfectly complements this slightly bonkers show about the toxic relationship between Earth and Humanity. It explores how Earth navigates human evolution and how poorly humanity has treated the planet.

The premise charts their story from the very beginning. At the start of the show, Earth has just finished a date with a dinosaur when a meteor arrives, prompting her to seek new companionship. This delightfully eccentric concept is now in its second run, having first opened at the Southwark Playhouse. It has returned with a slightly recast ensemble, though it still features just two performers. Danielle Steers, formerly of Six, reprises her role as Earth, while Morgan Gregory now plays Humanity. I appreciate that Steers’ CV will now include playing planet Earth. Both actors are excellent.

The show wonderfully demonstrates theatre’s power to present such a unique story, which the audience readily accepts. It contains many clever jokes; the only minor drawback in a larger theatre is that some visual gags rely on being able to read the titles of books on stage. Sitting a bit further back, I still caught one: Earth reading a book titled Fifty Shades of Clay. Brilliant.

Hot Mess subtly, yet effectively, makes a point about humanity’s treatment of Earth and the dynamics of relationships. However, it does so in a very fun and clever way, ensuring you never feel lectured. Instead, you are left with a sense of hope at the end.

When I first saw it, I felt it was a bit short. They’ve addressed this, extending the run time by about twenty minutes with two new songs, which rounds it out even better. As Neil Simon once said about plays, “Plays don’t get written, they get rewritten,” you only truly learn what works and what doesn’t once it’s in front of a paying audience. It’s also cost-effective to stage, requiring only two actors and a band, with scenery as simple or complex as desired. I believe it will have a good life in regional theatre and may even return to London at some point. Hopefully, it will tour, allowing more people the chance to see it.

Two actors, a band and a script this playful deserve a bigger life than one summer season at The Other Palace, so EyeOnLondon says catch it now before it inevitably heads out to the regions.

For more London arts and culture, visit EyeOnLondon at eye-on-london.com

[Image Credits | Pamela Raith]

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