Whirlwind romances usually make for a good musical. When things get hot, so does the music. When it gets stormy, this music enhances the vibe. There’s a reason why romance is such a common plot, after all. Hot Mess is a new musical about perhaps the most difficult and complicated relationship of all time: Humanity and Mother Earth.
And we mean that literally, Danielle Steers plays Earth itself. We’re introduced to them when they are young, free, and single. A young planet, interested in companionship, but only in something interesting. The T-Rex is the first love, but soon Rex is the ex, and Earth needs to move on. Then Hugh arrives. Hugh Manity.
Tobias Turley takes on the role of Hugh, the avatar of all mankind. Earth regards him as a little weird, a bit possessive, way too into wheat. But things get real, and then they get serious, and soon Hugh is plundering Earth’s deepest recesses, mostly for the oil. The innuendos practically write themselves at this point.
The set is very simple; a series of shelves with items that represent the Earth and all its treasures. The songs are fabulous, memorable and fun, though they do seem compartmentalised in places, almost as if they’re intended to be chopped up by the TikTok Generation.
Framing climate change as the result of an ADHD riddled, gaslighting man who’s grown into the habit of taking his lover for granted is a genius move. The show is relatable, crucial and rather fabulous. There’s something here for everyone, even petrolheads.
The show is bright and optimistic about the future, as well as realistic, so it chooses to end on a comedic note rather than a depressing one. Wonderful stuff.
You can book tickets for the Edinburgh Fringe show here and learn more about the production here.
