Hot Mess cast announced for world premier at Edinburgh Fringe

Lisa in the theatre
May 3
3 min read

Updated: Aug 17

West End stars Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley will lead new romcom musical Hot Mess, from the powerhouse team behind award-winning musical 42 Balloons.

Danielle Steers and Tobia Turley for Hot Mess musical. Photo credit: Mark Senior — Danielle Steers and Tobia Turley. Photo: Mark Senior

Hot Mess the musical Cast Announcement

High-energy original romcom musical Hot Mess has today announced its full cast and company.

London West End stars Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley will play Earth and Humanity respectively in the

comedy romcom which reimagines the climate crisis as a story of love, hope and the ultimate break-up.

Danielle has performed as Catherine Parr in SIX The Musical (2019 - 2021), Lady in the UK tour of The Cher Show and Marsha in Just for One Day at the Old Vic.
Tobias was the winner of ITV’s Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream and played Sky in the West End production of Mamma Mia! at the Novello Theatre, London. He also performed with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 2024.

Joining the team alongside 42 Balloons creative duo Ellie Coote and Jack Godfrey are Tony and Grammy nominated Paul Gatehouse (Sound Designer), Joe Beighton (Musical Supervisor and Co-orchestrator), Alexzandra Sarmiento (Movement Director), Shankho Chaudhuri (Set and Costume Designer), Ryan Joseph Stafford (Lighting Designer), Issie Osborne (Musical Director), Deirdre O'Halloran (Dramaturg), Lex Kaby (Intimacy Director), Caroline Mirfin (Costume Supervisor), James Ashfield (Producer), Vicky Graham for Vicky Graham Productions (Executive Producer), Finlay Carroll (Assistant Producer), Emily Humphrys (Deputy Stage Manager), Christopher Ball and Emily Obasohan (Production Managers) with casting by Pearson Casting CDG.

What is Hot Mess the musical about?

Music and lyrics by Jack Godfrey (WINNER: The Stage Debut Awards 2024 - best composer, lyricist or book writer for 42 Balloons)

Book and direction by Ellie Coote (AWARD NOMINATED: The Stage Debut Awards 2024 - director for 42 Balloons)

After a billion years of bad dates, Earth’s finally found the one... Humanity. Sparks fly. Wheat is harvested.

Technology flourishes. But what begins as a passionate love affair between the universe’s most iconic

couple quickly descends into a Hot Mess.

Created by the award-winning creative duo behind 42 Balloons, the pop comedy musical takes us to the

heart of the tempestuous relationship between Earth and Humanity.

Hot Mess is the first Edinburgh Festival Fringe production from the UK’s only in-house New Musical

Theatre Department at Birmingham Hippodrome. The new musical is presented in association with Vicky

Graham Productions.

See it at Edinburgh Fringe 2025:

Pleasance Two, Pleasance Courtyard, 30 July - 25 August (not 6, 11 and 18), 15:10 (16:15), 12+

Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote said of Hot Mess: “We’re so thrilled that Danielle Steers and Tobias

Turley will be starring in the world premiere of Hot Mess at the Edinburgh Fringe. We can't quite believe

we get to work with such an exciting pair of actors to bring Earth and Humanity's turbulent relationship to

life this summer.

“Hot Mess is really a love story about Earth and Humanity - an unlikely romance between an entire

species, and an entire planet - who have spent 200,000 years just trying to make their relationship work.

We hope audiences will fall in love with these characters, and want to root for them, even in their darkest

moments.

“We’re so excited to share Hot Mess with fringe audiences, and we can’t wait to bring this original new

musical to Edinburgh very soon!”

Deirdre O’Halloran, Head of New Musical Theatre at Birmingham Hippodrome said: “We are so

excited to mark Birmingham Hippodrome’s Edinburgh Fringe debut with Hot Mess. We’re delighted that

West End performers Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley will be our leads and can’t wait to see what they

bring to this fantastic show at the world’s biggest arts festival.”

Hot Mess musical Company Information

Performers: Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley
Book Writer and Director: Ellie Coote
Music, Lyrics and Co-Orchestrator: Jack Godfrey
Musical Supervisor and Co-Orchestrator: Joe Beighton
Movement Director: Alexzandra Sarmiento
Set and Costume Designer: Shankho Chaudhuri
Lighting Designer: Ryan Joseph Stafford
Sound Designer: Paul Gatehouse
Musical Director: Issie Osborne
Dramaturg: Deirdre O'Halloran
Intimacy Director: Lex Kaby
Costume Supervisor: Caroline Mirfin
Producer: James Ashfield
Executive Producer: Vicky Graham for Vicky Graham Productions
Assistant Producer: Finlay Carroll
Deputy Stage Manager: Emily Humphrys
Production Manager: Christopher Ball for Birmingham Hippodrome and Emily Obasohan
Casting Director: Pearson Casting CDG