We Called It First: Hot Mess Heads to Southwark After Sizzling Fringe Run
Theatre Village’s April Pick Proves It’s One to Watch
Well, well, well… would you look at that! Back in April, Theatre Village put on its most prophetic pair of knickers and declared Hot Mess one of the Top 9 Must-See Shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025. And guess what? It’s only gone and bagged itself a London transfer to Southwark Playhouse Elephant this October. That’s right – we saw the spark before it became a full-blown wildfire.
Running at Pleasance Courtyard from Wed 30 Jul – Mon 25 Aug, this gloriously unhinged eco-romcom then leaps onto the Southwark stage from Thu 16 Oct – Sat 8 Nov 2025. If you miss it in Edinburgh, consider this your second (and final) chance to catch a pop musical that’s as bold as it is blooming brilliant.
From the award-winning minds behind 42 Balloons – writer/composer Jack Godfrey and director Ellie Coote – Hot Mess reimagines the climate crisis as a messy, magnetic, millennia-spanning love story between Earth (yes, the planet) and her latest toxic crush: Humanity. Think Normal People, if one of them was an exploding rainforest.
And hold onto your compost bins, because this cast is volcanic. Starring Danielle Steers (SIX, The Cher Show) as Earth and Tobias Turley (ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream winner) as Humanity, the duo bring charisma, chaos, and killer vocals to a story that’s got more chemistry than a Year 11 science lab.
After a billion years of bad dates, Earth finally meets someone who gets her. There’s love. There’s fire. There’s… wheat. But as we all know, every whirlwind romance has its tipping point, and what starts as a cosmic connection soon spirals into a literal Hot Mess.
Backing the brilliance is an all-star creative team including Paul Gatehouse (Tony and Grammy-nominated Sound Designer), Joe Beighton (Musical Supervisor/Co-orchestrator), Alexzandra Sarmiento (Movement Director), and Shankho Chaudhuri (Set & Costume). It’s the first-ever show from Birmingham Hippodrome’s shiny new in-house New Musical Theatre Department to make the leap to London – and what a leap it is.
Jon Gilchrist, Artistic Director and CEO of Birmingham Hippodrome, summed it up:
“Ellie and Jack have created a sharp, heartfelt romcom and with West End stars Danielle and Tobias at the helm, this show is guaranteed to be full of character, charm and catchy tunes.”
We couldn’t agree more – except we’d also add: we told you so.
Grace’s Verdict?
Catch it at the Fringe if you can. Catch it in London if you must. But don’t miss it, or you’ll be the real mess.
Ticket prices: £12 Pioneers Preview £16 previews | Off Peak Standard £32/£27/£20 | Peak Standard £37/£32/£25 | Off Peak Concessions £26/£22/£16 | Peak Concessions £30/£26/£20 https://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/hot-mess/
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