Georgia Polly-Taylor tells us about her journey to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
We first met Georgia Polly-Taylor at last year’s Camden Fringe, when the show was called simply Hot Mess. One year and a name change later (to avoid confusing with the much inferior musical of the same name), Georgia is about to take her Very Hot. Very Messy. Show to Edinburgh, where we know audiences are going to love it as much as we did 12 months ago.
But before she wraps her feather boa around her neck and slides on those elegant gloves, we caught up with Georgia, along with director/ producer Nancy Hannigan, while on their long drive to Edinburgh, to find out just how this incredible show has developed from a three night run at Kentish Town’s Lion and Unicorn Theatre through to a spot at EdFringe’s Underbelly.
You debuted Very Hot. Very Messy. at the Camden Fringe last year before taking on Underbelly Cowgate. How has the show evolved since that initial run?
There’s more gags, there’s more feathers, there’s more depth. Nancy and I have really pushed the production elements – the toilet and set have had a hot glue facelift. Although we never secured formal funding, we set up a GoFundMe and have been blown away by the support from our creative community and people’s belief in the show. I have thrifted until my fingers bled, sewing and stitching like a real life Cinderella. Having had a longer rehearsal process this year, we’ve been able to develop new comedic material – an even Hotter and even Messier version of the show.
Camden Fringe is often seen as a testing ground or incubation space. Was there a specific moment or audience reaction during that run where you thought, ‘Yes, this is the exact direction this show needs to go in’?
The audience reaction helped us realise we were on the right track, when we had several people say that the laughter builds and builds. That was exactly what we were trying to achieve, it’s fast paced and in your face. My ultimate goal for this show is to have audiences not be able to catch their breath with laughter, potentially be confused, but always having a f***ing great time.
How has the working dynamic between you and director/producer Nancy Hannigan developed over the past year as you prepared for the scale of Edinburgh?
We’re not currently on speaking terms. JOKING, we’re actually having our very own Thelma and Louise moment driving up the M6 towards Edinburgh currently. Fingers crossed our destination is a success at the Fringe rather than a cliff.
We’ve climbed a mountain together, and managed to stay laughing while donning a multitude of hats to make the show happen. Working with Nancy is a joy. 10/10 would recommend on TripAdvisor.
The show blends grotesque-burlesque, absurd clowning, and high-fashion satire. How did the character of ‘Hot Mess’, a wannabe socialite model navigating her first Met Gala, first come to life?
I wanted to make a character that was equal parts f***able, and equal parts repulsive. Leaving the audience to ponder what it means to be a young woman in the public eye, being very hot and very messy at the same time…plus glitter…plus purple feathers.
Audience participation and immersion are big parts of the show. How do you handle the chaos of live audience interaction while keeping the narrative on track?
My honest answer is I love playing with an audience. I enjoy seeing them as a scene partner and an opportunity for live, collaborative, creative experience. The interactive element of the show is what makes it differ from night to night, and to me that’s why seeing a comedy show is such a fun way to spend an hour.
You’ve also incorporated relaxed performance elements into your Fringe run (sensory considerations, clear interaction boundaries). Why was accessibility an important priority for a show that is naturally high-energy and chaotic?
I have extensive experience working in accessible theatre, with several companies and practitioners (Make Sense Theatre, Jess Mabel-Jones). It’s an element of theatre-making that I feel is important and should be standard practice, I feel it’s wrong to assume that certain types of shows can’t be enjoyed by audiences with different access needs. I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disease in 2017. I’m sure anyone who’s got a chronic illness can attest to the fact that the experience of living with it can get very chaotic. For me the way of dealing with life’s challenges is to lead with the chaos, and allow it to push you through. I love to celebrate that.
What’s the single messiest thing that has actually happened on stage during a performance so far?
Well, to give the reader some context, there’s a moment early on in the show where I chew gum. Once this section is done, I NOW neatly place it into a tuppaware. I learnt the hard way. One particularly messy show, I decided to chew six pieces of gum and this resulted in a particularly sticky globule of wrigley’s spear mint #othergumsavailable. I spat the gum out behind the toilet, only to find out later in the show that I had sat in it, stepped in it, and got some of it in my hair. One surprisingly nice feature of this very messy ordeal, was that everything smelt like mint… for several weeks.
As you are playing at 4.15pm each day, it leaves the evening completely free. How would Hot Mess spend her ideal Edinburgh Fringe night out after the show?
In true Hot Mess fashion, it would be a classy and elegant night. Barking at strange men on the street, dancing on tables, stealing the microphone at other people’s shows. She’d flutter her way into Underbelly VIP areas, ensuring she got within sniffing distance of Phoebe Waller-Bridge. She’d probably ask anyone who’d listen for written feedback on whether her nipples tassels are the best they’ve ever seen.
Many thanks to Georgia for the chat, and to Nancy for ensuring we didn’t crash while chatting! Georgia Polly-Taylor’s Very Hot Very Messy plays at Underbelly Cowgate until 30 August (4.15pm) as part of EdFringe 2026.
