Hot Mess is an icon, a star-on-the-rise, an ingénue. She’s dreamt of going to the Met Gala her whole life, and soon, the red carpet beckons. Time to celebrate, right? At least, until the torrential turds hit, and the life she’s longed for could soon be flushed away.
The toilet-based terrain isn’t obvious from the marketing material, but in this case, it’s a delightfully silly surprise. The show creates a good sense of the frenzy of supposed-stardom. It’s giving bla-bla-bla press conferences, paparazzi madness and misbehaving bums. It’s set in a world peppered with songs about IBS and soliloquies about lactose. There’s nods to nepotism, phone calls with famous family members and conversations with your toilet. So far, so alternative comedy. There’s more than a touch of clown about this character.
In the early stages of the show Hot Mess is nearly wordless, and this bit is, surprisingly, seriously effective. Not every performer could pull this off, and Polly-Taylor presents it to playful perfection. She’s got a piercing stage presence that makes her accomplished leading lady material, whatever she takes her hand to. The character is so cleverly crafted and portrayed. Erratic yet familiar. Off-beat and oddly endearing. A true one-off.
Hot Mess is a triumphantly bizarre character, and this show is set to be a sure-fire hit at Edinburgh this year. There is a small ‘but’ coming – it could do with floating in front of an audience a few more times, in full. Further stage time will give a better sense of what hits home for a brand new audience, refining that delicate balance between purposefully awkward and laugh-out-loud funny. The ending feels a little like burlesque for burlesque’s sake, and leaves us wanting more. Easily remedied with the right team behind it, which it feels like there is, here. The passion for this project really comes through.
This reviewer sees upwards of sixty shows a year. Few feel genuinely original, and this character stands out from the crowd. Hot Mess is an iconic infusion between the cult of the celebrity and relentless poos. One to watch.
Reviewed on 27 May 2026.
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
-
9
