Cast set for new musical Hot Mess, penned by 42 Balloons team

Exclusive: Casting has been revealed for Hot Mess, the new musical primed to premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer.

Presented by Birmingham Hippodrome in association with Vicky Graham Productions, the new original musical, created by the team behind 42 Balloons, reimagines the climate crisis as a story between two central characters: Earth and Humanity.

The show features music and lyrics by Jack Godfrey, who recently won The Stage Debut Award for his work on 42 Balloons, and a book and direction by Ellie Coote, who was nominated in the same awards for direction.

The cast is led by West End performers Danielle Steers and Tobias Turley.

The creative team also includes Joe Beighton as musical supervisor and co-orchestrator, Alexzandra Sarmiento as movement director, Shankho Chaudhuri as set and costume designer, Ryan Joseph Stafford as lighting designer, and Paul Gatehouse as sound designer. Issie Osborne is musical director, with Deirdre O’Halloran as dramaturg, Lex Kaby as intimacy director, and Caroline Mirfin as costume supervisor.

The production is produced by James Ashfield, with Vicky Graham serving as executive producer. Finlay Carroll is assistant producer, Emily Humphrys is deputy stage manager, and production management is by Christopher Ball and Emily Obasohan. Casting is by Pearson Casting.

Hot Mess will run at Pleasance Two, Pleasance Courtyard, from 30 July to 25 August (excluding 6, 11 and 18 August) at 15:10. The production marks the Edinburgh Fringe debut for Birmingham Hippodrome’s New Musical Theatre department, aimed to provide a platform for rising star musical talent in the UK.