★★★★★

“continually manages to entertain and surprise”

How do you fit humanity’s 300,000-year existence on planet earth into an hour? Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote somehow do just that in their new musical ‘Hot Mess’, transforming the messy relationship between people and the planet into a toxic romantic relationship between ‘Earth’ (Danielle Steers) and ‘Humanity’ (Tobias Turley). It shouldn’t work as well as it does.

Steers immediately sets the tone with her stellar vocals as her character laments her ongoing singledom, having not found a species of ‘apex predator’ to her liking since the sexy short-armed T-rexes of millions of years ago. This anthropomorphic iteration of our planet is no ‘Mother Earth’ or mythic ‘Gaia’ – she is a millennial in a satin green nightgown with an endless stream of geological puns up her sleeve. Earth dances confidently around her stylised living room, an effectively layered set by Shankho Chaudhuri, complete with blue floors, green furniture, and lots of plants. In bursts Humanity: a white guy in gold-rimmed glasses and a sheepskin jacket, of course. Turley matches Steers’ outstanding voice as they whirl through an impressive array of musical styles. Co-orchestrators Godfrey and Joe Beighton have done a particularly good job of capturing the epic scale of this relationship in their pleasing electronic compositions.

As Humanity, Turley also stands out for his portrayal of the self-centredness, short-sightedness, and greed that leads to the inevitable breakdown of their relationship.

Intelligent and ambitious, Humanity’s quick development from hunter-gatherer to farmer to self–appointed architect-of-the-world is only possible because he has no qualms about exploiting his girlfriend, his ‘only home’, for her many resources (cue silly drilling innuendos). His adulterous trip to the Moon and unwarranted introduction of planes and cars, cleverly incorporated into the soundscape (Paul Gatehouse & Charlie Smith), drive Earth further to the edge, resulting in literal stormy weather, cleverly represented in Ryan Joseph Stafford’s light(n)ing design.

Naturally, the audience can see where the relationship will go from a million miles away, but ‘Hot Mess’ continually manages to entertain and surprise regardless. It transforms the climate crisis into a narrative of romantic fall-out so familiar that it allows the viewer to easily grasp some of the underlying issues that have caused it, pointing to humans’ essential solipsism and carelessness. In the end, Earth realises it does not need Humanity and kicks him out of her home, after which he finds refuge with a much more toxic partner, Mars. Despite that bleak prospect, you’ll be walking out of this show with a smile on your face.

DARKFIELD:

FLIGHT | COMA | EULOGY | ARCADE

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

★★★★★

“meticulously crafted to mess with your senses”

Step into the void with a disorientating, immersive evening at ‘Darkfield’, where shipping containers conceal extraordinary secrets, and total darkness exposes more than you bargained for. Brace yourself – this pitch-black plunge isn’t for the faint of heart.

‘Darkfield’ delivers four mind-bending binaural journeys in total darkness. You can experience as many or as few as you like before regrouping at a central hub complete with beats and bar. My running order is ‘Flight’, ‘Eulogy’, ‘Coma’ and ‘Arcade’, which I recommend.

‘Flight’ kicks things off with a bang (literally). This is a flight simulator with a twist – think Schrödinger’s cat but with humans. The immersion begins the moment you’re handed a boarding pass, the plane cabin complete with overhead bins to stow your ‘luggage’. Screens spring to life for a pre-recorded safety briefing. Though the video keeps glitching – wait, why’s that face familiar? Then darkness. Take off is tricky, engines roaring and cabin quivering, and the higher you go, the stranger it gets – weren’t those curtains blue before? Bad weather looms – will you make it out alive?

‘Eulogy’ is a surreal, recursive dream (or nightmare) shaped by audience choices. We’re handed key cards to hotel suites… only to find ourselves in the loading bay. Lights out. A ‘companion’ lull us to sleep as we move through the hotel. Finally, our real rooms. Though be careful with that ornament, you don’t want to break it– a shattering crash ends your reverie. How will we get to the rehearsal like this? What if we miss the convention? But the endless hotel has other ideas, and you’ve more in common with the ornament than you realise.

‘Coma’ is the most disorientating of the four. Stepping into a room with floor to ceiling bunk beds, this is the only experience you take lying down. Your attention’s drawn to the pill by your head. Do you all take it and surrender to the collective dream? Or resist and tough it out? As darkness closes in, the smell of surgical spirit fills the air and… are we in a hospital? Who’s that pacing the corridor and why won’t everyone lie still?

‘Arcade’ is a darkly fun one to finish on. You step into an 80s arcade hall, controlling your destiny for the first time. Through a combination of button pressing and coin slotting, you guide ‘Milk’ through a choose your own adventure – though think fast, or Milk might die. Can you complete all the levels and win the game? And how many lives will you trade to get there?

Each experience is meticulously crafted to mess with your senses. The visual deprivation is almost total, with a few well-timed flashes made more jarring in complete blackout. The binaural soundscape feels real, the roving sound conjuring people and places with almost hallucinatory effect. The voice acting is expert, ranging from emphatic to conspiratorial. The other senses work overtime, deciphering scents, splats and puffs of air. The set and lighting design are flawless down to the last detail – whether it’s flight safety cards with mirrored reverses, housekeeping checklists on your laundry trolley, or arcade machines delivering gunshot recoil.

Each experience is wildly different, pushing the boundaries of theatre. ‘Flight’ is an immersive thought experiment that’s definitely not for nervous fliers – the plane looks real and soundscape features occasional screaming. It’s intense but thrilling. ‘Eulogy’ blurs the line between sleep and waking and keeps you guessing despite tailoring your experience. The journey is cryptic but captivating – just like sleep, it’s better not to fight it. ‘Coma’ is a dystopian brain melt, the binaural audio evoking multiple people. It’s utterly enthralling and worth persevering with, even if I find it the most unnerving experience. ‘Arcade’ is a great one to finish on, reasserting your agency even if it’s so you can die repeatedly. The staging is excellent with some shocking 4D effects. A post-show chat with the person next to me reveals wildly different stories – worth doing again! Though seeing all four shows in one sitting is hardcore and the upbeat DJ provides a very welcome buffer.

‘Darkfield’ is unforgettable, unnerving, and unlike any other theatre. It’s intense, unsettling, and probably not for everyone – definitely read the trigger warnings. But for those who dare, the reward is a breathtaking descent into a world that challenges reality.

HOT MESS

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

★★★★★

“continually manages to entertain and surprise”

HOT MESS

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

Reviewed on 22nd October 2025

by Lola Stakenburg

Photography by Helen Murray

Previously reviewed at this venue:

HOT MESS

HOT MESS

HOT MESS

DARKFIELD:

FLIGHT | COMA | EULOGY | ARCADE

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

★★★★★

“meticulously crafted to mess with your senses”

DARKFIELD

Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

Reviewed on 9th October 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Mihaela Bodlovic

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DARKFIELD

DARKFIELD

DARKFIELD

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