Unpopular, Send in the ClownsThe Door, Birmingham Rep | 30 January 2026, on till 31 January 2026 then on tour ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
Photo credit: Graham Braidwood
Unpopular, Send in the Clowns
The Door, Birmingham Rep | 30 January 2026, on till 31 January 2026 then on tour
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review by David Gray & Paul Gray
“A wild, raucous, bawdy and utterly BRILLIANT rollercoaster-ride of a show!”
This is a wild and witty show that thrives on its own contradictions. On the one hand, it is a fond - if often irreverent(!) - homage to the songs of the ‘mega’ musicals. On the other, it misses no opportunity to subvert dodgy politics, and send-up the overblown pretentions and conventions of the genre.
The show uses its shoestring budget to gleefully ridicule the shameless commercialism of Broadway. The deft sprinkling of its own political messages never gets in the way of the fun. And it is packed with humour that might shock those with a more ‘woke’ sensibility in any another context. These ‘Clowns’ get away with it, because they are a group of diverse people who delightfully play with their own diversity.
In an explanatory opening scene, the cast fain panic as they mutter among themselves that they have no show, and that the audience has already arrived. This introductory scene could probably do with a little pruning. However, it sets out the stall nicely for the evening’s thrown together ‘Hey-let’s-put-on-a-show!’ aesthetic.
Once the singing starts the evening really gets into its stride. All the songs in the first half are well chosen to show off the niche talents of the individual performers. Alanna Boden blows us away with a heartfelt delivery of ‘Film in my head’, from Miss Saigon. Drag King, Blü Romantic cleverly draws parallels with the current political situation in America in his rendition of ‘You’ll be back’, from Hamilton. Dahliah Rivers is hilarious as an inappropriately louche Disney mermaid, from The Little Mermaid. Fatt Butcher kills ‘This is the moment’ from Jekyll and Hyde, with some OTT armography that would put Shirley Bassey and Dusty Springfield to shame.
As it the case with all ‘Send in the Clowns’ shows, the second half is a potted version of a whole musical. This time round, the unwilling victim is the show Wicked. The jokes come thick and fast and the energy is frenetic, building to a series of deliriously frenzied climaxes. Fatt Butcher is always on hand when things go wrong - and they do - to iron over any wrinkles with effortless repartee.
The surprising thing is how, when the big emotional moments arrive, the cast manages to step outside of the comedic, so that real feelings shine through. Defying Gravity, a vocally fearless performance from Alanna Bowden, really packs a punch despite all the absurdity of the staging.
This is a raucous, bawdy, clever and wonderfully imaginative show. Just don’t sit near the front because you’ll end up on the stage! Overall: simply gorgeous stagecraft.
Cast:
Fatt Butcher
Blü Romantic
Alanna Boden
Dahliah Rivers