Review: Send in the Clowns: Unpopular at The Rep, Birmingham
- midlandsrainbow
- 2d
- 2 min read
★★★★★
Just over four years ago, Send in the Clowns – a Birmingham-based drag and cabaret collective – launched their first show at the Old Joint Stock’s theatre. Over the course of the years that followed, the Clowns (Fatt Butcher, Alanna Boden, Blü Romantic and Dahliah Rivers) have created many more shows, toured the UK and taken on a myriad of musicals in their own unique, camp and chaotic style. 2026 marks a new era for the Clowns, sees them move from their previous Birmingham home of The Old Joint Stock to a slightly larger venue, The Door, at Birmingham’s Rep Theatre.
Their début at The Rep, which opened on Thursday 29th January, brings back a previous production, Unpopular, which takes on the musical Wicked as well as numbers from across countless other ‘megamusicals’ including: Hamilton, Miss Saigon, and Les Misérables. Although this is a show that the Clowns have previously performed, its revival at The Rep is not completely the same, so even if you’ve seen Unpopular before you get something new. Offering an updated version, the show is full of new numbers, new jokes, new pop-culture references, and perhaps most notably an even more political punch than ever before. While Send in the Clowns have always carried politics into their performances, those who follow drag artist, Fatt Butcher, will know that they are aiming to get back to the roots of their drag, and the political nature of their art, and this show definitely delivers on that promise.
Send in the Clown: Unpopular at The Rep continues to bring the riotous fun that audiences know and love from the Clowns already. Showcasing a passion for all things musical theatre, drag and performance, it’s silly, chaotic, and filthy in the best way possible. The vocals are, as always, incredible, and above all, Unpopular perfectly blends camp queer joy and art with powerful political satire that serves a strong message to use your voice and to unite as a community.
Limited tickets are still available for Unpopular’s run at The Rep, Birmingham ending Saturday 31st January, before the Clowns head out on tour performing in Cardiff, Manchester, Bristol, and Stoke-on-Trent.
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