Review: Hot Mess (The Other Palace)

Review by Seth Wilby

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It feels rather appropriate that, at a time when London is suffering from red weather alerts, The Other Palace is starting its next situationship with new musical Hot Mess since, not only is that what many of the audience were in 33º heat, it gives a fresh take on the hottest topic around- the climate crisis. But would this Edinburgh Fringe hit manage to renew its energy, or would it be left to crash back down to Earth?

From rising British composer Jack Godfrey, Hot Mess had its first major outing at last year's Edinburgh Fringe, where it gained enough buzz to transfer directly to the Southwark Playhouse in Autumn, before evolving into the new version you can see in its Victoria habitat all Summer. Framing the climate crisis as a toxic relationship between Earth and humanity, we track hundreds of thousands of tumultuous years of passion, affection and friction- the moon landing is posed as an affair, and the Industrial Revolution an intimate exchange, to give you an idea of the perspective taken. 

Giving more evidence for Darwin’s Theory of Evolution (not that he needs it, of course), this production is nearly unrecognisable in comparison to what you would’ve seen last year. With new songs, dialogue, design, and cast, I’ll delve into these changes later, since I must begin with where the show truly flourishes, which is in Jack Godfrey’s incredibly catchy, pop-infused score. Each song is a definitive knee-bopper, with witty lyrics and electric melodies making this a soundtrack I will certainly return to when I need cheering up. With vibes reminiscent of Six, it is a score flooded with showstopping anthems (Tomorrow and Happy being my two favourites), passionately choreographed by Alexzandra Sarmiento, that never steers too far from this galvanising effect- repetitive and fun, it's a strong signpost for the new generation of musical theatre.

Reuniting Godfrey with collaborator Ellie Coote (Babies and 42 Balloons) as both book writer and director, this is a new musical with a clear purpose of enjoyment that it never strays from, maintaining a consistent tone throughout. Framing this story as a rom-com is a clever and fresh choice, providing a lot of narrative scope that Coote more than does justice. Although it’s slightly bonkers, there’s an interestingly layered story there, and, since it depicts billions of years of natural history, it's predictable enough for the plot to be occasionally and harmlessly sidelined, allowing for Coote to pack the script with explosive puns. From the first moments (“I could literally pull anyone. It’s called gravity”), the puns steer so far into cringeworthiness that they become funny again in a script that doesn’t take itself seriously, allowing the audience to let loose in return. If only these puns had continued for the whole runtime, it could easily have been one of the funnest new musicals out there.

Upon entering The Other Palace, I could tell this was an evolution of the production I saw at the Fringe. Last year’s flatpack set (which had clearly been designed as something to be packed up in twenty minutes) has been replaced by something more stylish, designed by Shankho Chaudhuri, flowing nicely on this thrust stage and providing a simple yet appealing platform for our story to unfold, even offering some subtle bits of evolution itself to support the narrative. The levels of this are used well by Coote’s energetic direction, slowing down occasionally but mainly maintaining an intense dynamism that is necessary to make this absurd story convincing. The unlikely star amongst the creatives, however, is lighting designer Ryan Joseph Stafford, whose choices are as thrilling as they are resolute, creating an electrifying atmosphere reminiscent of a pop concert and filling the audience with passion and life.

The material has undergone similarly thorough reworking, particularly the book, to provide the story with more depth (as well as an extra 20 minutes). Though the show is still fairly short (one 85-minute act), these changes do definitely benefit the story, allowing us more time to explore our characters and their relationship before we have to rush into disaster. No scenes feel like filler, and a fairly comprehensive rom-com story is portrayed. Godfrey’s existing songs go through less change (bar some altered verses to align with the meatier plot), yet he has written a few new ones too. These are inoffensive and in keeping with the existing environment, but also steer into more emotional territory, providing a more varied score with depth similar to what we get from the revised script.

However, beyond these two new songs, the score is quite homogeneous, and while we don’t necessarily tire of it, more diversion from electro-pop would make the show feel more whole. In its existing form, many of the songs merge into one, which is not helped by the choice to intersperse most of them with dialogue and narrative scenes. There are so many songs, yet so few are allowed to just exist, which makes the show sometimes feel like it doesn’t trust either element of the material to stand on its own- the show only truly stops when its performers are allowed a full three minutes to deliver a powerhouse number.

Of course, despite being a comedy, there’s a serious message at the core of Hot Mess. Yet, so much time is given to the past and future that they don’t place enough focus on the now. It takes nearly an hour to reach the actual discussion on the climate crisis, and not enough focus is given for this to be a genuine conversation-starter, despite there being some good, yet surface-level,  ideas about not abusing the Earth. Amongst six-show days in Edinburgh, Hot Mess was simply looking to be fun and unique enough to stand out, which it certainly did. However, London audiences have different expectations, and the team were clearly aware of that, deepening the plot yet leaving it teetering on an awkward middle ground between the serious and the silly, meaning neither is achieved to its full potential.

What we probably take for granted in this production is the stellar cast, who provide the rock-solid foundation to stop the show from going extinct. Returning to the role of Earth is Danielle Steers, who has this characterisation perfected. As our sassy and misunderstood yet egotistical protagonist, Steers perfectly understands the gravity of the situation, leaving no stone unturned and ensuring her Earth is this production’s core. Darkly humorous and deeply tragic, Steers’ layered performance is second only to her incredible vocals, which bring enough power to cause tectonic shifts. Her performance of ‘My House’ is the culmination of an hour of high pressure and deservedly brings the house down.

New to this production is Morgan Gregory, who takes root in Humanity’s shoes with both a lovable naivety and more complex arrogance. An unlikely antagonist, Gregory’s performance branches out into displays of rage, sadness and dorkiness, with his ‘What Did You Expect’ a passionate and emotional journey. Gregory does very well at making us turn on our very own species, truly selling the idea that this likeably innocent being with opposable thumbs could cause such destruction, thus providing us with the strongest ideas of the climate crisis to mull over. Although his songs have less range than Steers’, his voice has a smooth and calming quality, rising to the occasion in the duets, which allow the elemental chemistry of the two to be displayed.

When I saw this at the Edinburgh Fringe, I would have given it five stars. However, in an attempt to earn its London home, it has lost some of that connection. Still, it's a very fun show that doesn't fail to entertain, ‘weather’ it's Godfrey’s electrifying score, Coote’s witty book, or the two rock-solid performances. I'm over the moon that Hot Mess seems to be continuing to evolve, but, like any complicated relationship, this is the stage when it’s truly figuring out what it is, after the Honeymoon period of the Fringe. It’s messy, but it's also a lot of fun, and I see no reason why a bit more growth couldn’t help it regenerate British musical theatre as a whole.

Hot Mess plays at The Other Palace until 6th September. Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/musical/hot-mess-a-new-musical-tickets

Photos by Pamela Raith