What better time to see a musical about the climate crisis than during a heatwave?
It’s a simple title: “hot” reflects the reality of global warming; “mess” refers to the state of the world. Together, “Hot Mess” describes a situation or person being chaotic or out of control, characterising the relationship between Earth and Humanity. Pointed but humorous, it sets the tone for what unfolds.
Unlike the typical maternal figure of love and acceptance – Mother Earth – here she is portrayed as a modern woman in search of love. And like the unattached heroine of any contemporary romance, she has a complaint: “I’ve been single for eons…”
Enter the love interest: Humanity. A new relationship ensues.
The show is full of big metaphors: oil drilling and shale gas extraction become intimate acts; climate change is an emotional response from Earth. And as the relationship spirals out of control, we get the ever-worsening climate crisis.
Hot Mess isn’t a formulaic tale of saving the planet, but a fable about a relationship turned sour. It applies the narrative of a romantic comedy to describe how Humanity and Earth relate to each other over the ages. Initially, there is the joyful honeymoon; then, they come to rely on each other. Eventually, things fall out of balance. One end of the relationship is doing all the taking, and the other all the giving. Inevitably, there is a split.
The Earth’s lover
Hot Mess has a two-person cast. Danielle Steers (Earth) is a charismatic, charming force, depicting Earth as independent, confident and ready for love. Morgan Gregory plays Humanity as a naïve, blunt, but endearing young man. Over time, he grows defensive, denying problems that exist or that he bears any responsibility for them.
Other characters such as single-celled organisms, dinosaurs, earthquakes and the planet Mars are portrayed through these two actors and the music, rather than as additional production elements.
Over 4.5 billion years, Earth has had previous relationships, with single-celled organisms (boring) and then a Tyrannosaurus Rex (which ends abruptly after an asteroid strike).
The dinosaur never appears on stage but is a constant presence as Earth’s one-who-got-away. The contrast between T-Rex the ex and Humanity leads to many jokes. At one point, Earth recalls being hugged by T-Rex, but its stubby little arms can’t quite reach around her.
There is other clever wordplay too. At one point Earth confidently declares: “I can literally pull anyone – it’s called gravity.”
It’s the tumultuous romance between Earth and Humanity, though, that’s at the heart of the musical. When Humanity first appears, he’s in a woolly jumper, long trousers and a scarf. During this performance, the theatre itself was slightly cooler than outside, but the actor playing Humanity still looked flushed in his costume. (It also took place during London Climate Action Week, which was held in the middle of a heatwave.)
As the show progresses, the industrial revolution, burning of fossil fuels and global warming impair the relationship. Humanity’s clothing acts as a metaphor: from a jumper to a shirt, then a vest, symbolising the warming of the planet.
Differences
Initially, in the agricultural age, Humanity is hard-working and curious, and Earth falls head over heels in love. Over time, she opens up and shares all she has to offer: her forests, her rivers, her coal and her oil and gas. With those resources, Humanity embarks on a journey of growth and technological advancement.
But soon, things begin to unravel. The forests have been felled, the rivers polluted. Rampant extraction of fossil fuels finally drives Earth to anger. She expresses her discontent through hurricanes, storms and earthquakes. It’s as if Earth is issuing a warning: “I’ve had enough!”
Humanity is quick to comfort Earth and comes up with lots of promising solutions: net zero, carbon offsets. Earth’s pained response? “I don’t know what any of that means.”
It’s an accurate portrayal of global climate governance. In 2015, the Paris Agreement set a target of achieving net-zero emissions by the second half of this century. By 2025, at least 137 countries, representing the vast bulk of greenhouse gas emissions, had written net-zero targets into their national commitments. But those commitments are a long way from action. Net zero has even become an excuse to delay real emission cuts: some countries continue to expand fossil fuel investment and place their hopes in carbon offsets and carbon removal, rather than immediately cutting fossil fuel use.
One particularly pointed bit of dialogue alluded to this.
Earth begs of Humanity: “Please, stop burning oil and gas.”
He answers: “I will. I’ll think of something.”
She follows up: “But when?”
He answers: “Tomorrow.”
Promises of “tomorrow” are a common delaying tactic in relationships – and in climate politics.
There should be little controversy about the need to move away from fossil fuels, yet in practice it seems to be the hardest thing to make progress on. In 2023, COP28 in Dubai ended with a call to transition away from fossil fuels. But the following two COP meetings featured no official mention of a roadmap for doing so.
As Hot Mess shows, the question isn’t whether Humanity has the solution, but whether it is genuinely willing to change. This love story ultimately highlights a dilemma: when one person constantly promises to change and the other simply can’t take any more, how long can things last?
The future
At the end of the tale, Earth and Humanity part ways. Humanity has a new love: Mars. Earth too has a new partner: AI. Humanity dreams of escaping a broken relationship and finding a new home. Earth, still full of life, continues her long journey.
But Mars, it turns out, is no new paradise. Humanity needs to wear an unwieldy spacesuit to survive the harsh conditions and dig deep into the rock for shelter. It is poignant and ironic: Humanity has tried to escape Earth, but finds he cannot replicate all that she offered.
What, then, was Humanity trying to do: find a new home, or avoid fixing the old one?
Hot Mess does not end with a simple “Humanity destroyed Earth” message. On the contrary, it points out a difficulty: Earth does not need to be saved by Humanity. She has been remaking herself for billions of years. What needs to change is Humanity and how he relates to nature.
That, perhaps, is the most profound aspect of the musical. It is not an apocalyptic tale designed to cause terror. It reminds us that when one person keeps taking and refuses to listen to the other’s pain, no amount of love can prevent a split. And when we finally realise what we have lost, perhaps we will also see that what we need isn’t a new planet, but to learn how to care for the one we have.
Hot Mess is playing at The Other Place theatre in London until 6 September 2026.
