Hot Mess is a musical about ecology but told from a different angle. The stage opens up to a pair of opposing curved ramps with a variety of shelves underneath.

A woman enters. Danielle Steers previously known for the part of Zahara in the original Bat out of Hell musical, and later in Six comes on the stage complaining about the lack of male company. She has tried dating sites but the chosen ones fade into history. She is Earth, the planet, and she laments the passing of the dinosaurs  and other species.

She might have finally found a mate in the form of Tobias Turley previously in Mamma Mia; he is Humanity. He grows wheat in pots on the shelves and plants them out in fields that Earth has provided. His chopping down of trees is of increasing concern to Earth, but he does not care other than to blame her for the flooding of his fields.

Musically the two singers fit well together either as solo or duets mostly with strong rock tunes. Humanity always carries with him a loose leaf file with plans for expansion.  When challenged by Earth about the damage he is causing, his procrastinating reply is “I’ll do that tomorrow”.  He discovers uses for oil and coal with no regard for the consequences.

Earth fights back with natural phenomena but the damage is done, Earth is just a Hot Mess caused by Humanity.

This is a good strong musical sung by well matched singers, somewhat simplistic in its message. At 65 minutes at the Pleasance Courtyard, it is worth the time. The production moves to the Southwark Playhouse Elephant in October