Hot Mess Review at The Other Palace London

From the creators of 42 Balloons, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, comes Hot Mess: A New Musical, a bold, brand-new British musical bursting with infectious original pop songs. Following successful seasons at Birmingham Hippodrome and the Edinburgh Festival in 2025, the multi-award-winning Hot Mess now ignites the stage at London’s The Other Palace, bringing its messy, magnetic romance to London audiences.

Hot Mess focuses on Earth, and after a billion years of bad dates, finally thinks they’ve found the one: Hu-manity. Sparks fly. Seeds are sown. Ground is broken. But what starts as a passionate love affair between the universe’s most iconic couple soon spirals into a spectacularly messy breakup. This is the electrifying rise and devastating fall of what might just be the greatest love story ever told.

As Earth, we were lucky enough to see cover, Mia Quimpo (Pippin, Head Over Heels), who gave a thrilling performance. Her vocals throughout were flawless, with every word and intention understood. Quimpo handled the pop score with ease and style and was instantly relatable as the out of love Earth. Her emotional depth was particularly compelling as she charted the character’s journey from jaded to lovestruck euphoria and back again. A genuine tour de force performance from an exciting emerging talent.

As Humanity, Morgan Gregory (The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, Back to the Future: The Musical) was absolutely sensational. Personifying all of us, the audience was initially drawn to his youthful innocence and optimism. As the show progressed and Humanity began to take Earth for granted, that innocence slowly shifted, and we found ourselves watching with horror our own hubris. This emotional journey was portrayed with real clarity and control by Gregory, whose vocals were consistently flawless throughout. He balanced warmth and charm with a growing sense of entitlement, making the character’s shift feel both natural and compelling to watch unfold on stage. An absolutely fantastic performance from an extremely talented young actor, and I’m really excited to see where his career takes him next.

With such an unusual concept, Hot Mess could easily have been just that. However, under the skilled direction of Ellie Coote (who also wrote the book), this new musical is impressively tight, confident, and consistently entertaining. Bolstered by Jack Godfrey’s witty, pop-infused score and razor-sharp lyrics, Hot Mess should be your next musical theatre obsession, with more than enough earworms or “vocal stims”, as the kids would say, to have you humming the songs long after you’ve left the theatre. Funny, heartfelt, and brimming with originality, it’s proof that bold new musicals can surprise and delight.

Hot Mess plays a limited engagement at The Other Palace until September, with tickets available at a range of prices, including £15 day seats. If you’re looking to support new British musical theatre, this is one production that’s well worth adding to your summer theatre plans. Let’s all have a Hot Mess Summer!

Hot Mess plays at The Other Palace until 6 September 2026.

Where I Sat

For Hot Mess, we were seated in Stalls G9, which were perfect seats about mid-way up with plenty of leg room. The Other Palace is one of the more modern theatres, so there really are no restricted views throughout. We were also very appreciative of the air conditioning on one of the hottest days of the year!

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Reviewed by Stuart James for SeatPlan, June 2026.