JADAR

★★★★

Fatt Productions’ Send in the Clowns return for another whirlwind show, our four talents, Fatt Butcher, Dahliah Rivers, Blü Romantic, and Alanna Boden, reuniting as our enigmatic and personable hosts, this time tackling the showy spectacles and power-ballads of 80s, 90s, and 00s megamusicals.

The structure of the show is largely the same as their previous production, Little Flop of Horrors, with act one consisting of an arrangement of altered solos, duets, ensemble numbers, and sing-alongs, before a tongue-in-cheek “20(ish) minute” campy parody of a classic musical, this time being an ‘unpopular’ adaptation of Wicked. It’s an entertaining mishmash of elements from cabarets, pantomimes, satirical stand-up, and musicals, unified by incredible singing and drag performances.

The introduction is a little less punchy than its predecessor, talking us through the concept of the show before breaking into their flashy musical spectacles medley (in spectacles, of course). A toy helicopter dangled above the audience as flashlights whirled around the room, a tiny crystal chandelier gently “dropped” from the ceiling, and a parade of vaguely shaped creatures surrounded a suspended lion plush… a small taste of antics yet to come.

Alanna Boden opened the musical revue with a breathtaking rendition of Miss Saigon’s ‘The Movie in My Mind’ before Dahliah Rivers hopped on-stage to an encore of “slut” chants, tripping in her glitzy tail before a bubbly (literally) Little Mermaid homage.

Fatt Butcher and Alanna joined the audience for a The Phantom of the Opera singalong, cracking with laughter as the audience shrieked Christine’s soprano notes before showing us how it’s done with their own effortless prowess.

Blü Romantic followed with another topical number, impersonating Donald Trump while wearing the ever iconic ‘Make America Gay Again’ cap before playfully frolicking through ‘You’ll be Back’ (Hamilton), an imaginary revolving stage to boot. 

Fatt Butcher’s mellifluous vocals in ‘This is The Moment’ from Jekyll & Hyde, before the quartet concluded the act with a thrilling version of Les Misérables’ ‘One Day More’, complete with amusingly aggressive merchandise advertisements… one of my favourite motifs of Send in the Clowns’ shows.

Act two then introduces the audience to the wacky world of Wicked with Alanna starring as Elphaba, Dahliah as Galinda, Blü as Fiyero, and Fatt Butcher multi-rolling as the horny Doctor Dillamond, the meme-d Madame Morrible, and the “Wissard” Liza Minnelli of Oz. Other characters are filled in with audience members or props, including a mannequin head making their debut as Nessa – a unique approach that objectifies Nessa to highlight the absurdity of ableist tropes and casting choices.

As you might have guessed, it was a ‘no-lift show’, but for good reason! Instead, Alanna posed valiantly with her flying mop, slaying Erivo’s battle cry as audience and cast members shook the cape in an amusingly well-crafted ‘illusion’.

Fatt Butcher stops the show with existential crisis about creating meaningful theatre. They highlight the limitations of flashy pop-filled shows and spectaclised theatre before critiquing the industry’s unfaithful approach to impactful stories like Wicked, whose themes of fascism and genocide are played down for commercial palatability. Capitalism’s tyrannical grasp can be seen throughout the show’s skits, controlling the narrative, propagating problematic stereotypes, and destroying lives or environments to chase financial gain. It’s a subtler theme and perhaps less eloquently summarised than Little Flop’s concerns, but moving nonetheless.

This solemnity is of course met with a farcically jazzy Fossie,inspired ‘hurricane’ montage through the abridged events of act 2 before Elphaba’s final splash and a Mamma Mia! crowd-pleaser for the finale. 

Ironically, I felt some elements were a little less wild and flamboyant than Little Flop, but perhaps that’s the point in a show rejecting capitalism and embracing mayhem. 

Send in the Clowns has an ingenious formula, combining fierce, spine-tingling vocals, a slew of riotous gags, tons of corny innuendos, and fascinating moments of scathing satire. With a low-budget and only two days of rehearsal, the show thrives in its own chaos. Cues are missed and expertly played off by Fatt Butcher, curtain transitions fail, and even the props are “cheap” handmade reproductions with sharpie-d flags, cardboard boats, and tin-foil covered puppets – all ingeniously creative parodies.

There are a few wrinkles to iron out with ear-bleedingly loud microphones and miscued songs or voiceovers creating clunky pauses. Again, it’s to be expected in a show that prides itself on mayhem, but it did occur a tad too frequently.

Overshining any issues, the group’s passion for theatre is the driving force of the show; their antics are statements and their commentaries are refreshingly raw. Send in The Clowns is a paradox: a love letter, and a memo for change, created from one group of theatre-lovers to another. They’re a Wicked-ly creative, comedic, and canorous group of performers.

Send in the Clowns: Unpopular runs at Hope Mill Theatre, Manchester until February 18, The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol from February 20 to 21, and New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme on March 20.