By Annabel Romanos 

Hot Mess was a genuinely charming piece of theatre.  

 
When I first heard that a show was being put on in The Lizard, my heart dropped (in the best way possible) because that place is my JAM.  And despite the show having to move into 601 (for health and safety reasons), they positively Lizard-ified the performing space:  I mean swaggy lights, cute little dance floor equipped with some bad-ass glow tape, and  a DJ Booth that was spinning some old favourites.  It was a very pleasant surprise.  The only criticism I have for the venue would be that some poor people had to stand—but they did warn people on the Facebook event AND I was not one of them, so you know what: it’s fine. 
 
The show itself was an odd exploration of a woman’s place in the world of modern love.  The cast and crew did a wonderful job weaving together what could potentially have been a very choppy show.  It was a good decision to leave each cast member on stage for the majority of the piece because it created a sense of camaraderie between the audience and the actors.  We were all witnessing the madness together–just a we are all experiencing it together in real life. 
 
Each actor captured their role with great skill, but the true star of the production was Helena Jaques-Morton as Jax.  I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard and been so shocked in quite succinct succession.  Also, shout out to Helena for sprinting from 601 to The Byre to act in a Blind Mirth show directly after. 
 
Overall, I would like to offer congratulations to the cast and crew of Hot Mess.  You are all wonderful and I believe the show came at a time that was especially relevant to a lot of St Andreans and young people in general.