REVIEW | Send in the Clowns: Oklahomo, Old Joint Stock Theatre
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Reviewer - Katie
*Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review
Exquisitely charismatic and deliciously unapologetic.
A chaotic caricature of some of the world’s most loved musicals.
Any poor soul expecting to see a beautiful and traditional performance of Oklahoma! Would have been a deer in the headlights in the middle of this insanity, but a packed out room at Birmingham's Old Joint Stock Theatre, told me that this audience knew exactly what they were getting into.
Send in the Clowns is a musical theatre drag revue show from Fatt Projects; a Birmingham based performance company focused on advancing queer joy and empowering communities. They have become a staple act at this intimate venue and a cult favourite of Brummie drag fans.
Oklahomo! took us back to the golden age of musical theatre, celebrating (or slating!) some of the best loved shows from the 40s, 50s & 60s. Effortlessly hosted by Fatt Butcher, the performance was a combination of slick and silky vocals, and cut throat, off the cuff comedy.
The first half gives us a whistle stop tour of some of the most iconic musical songs, with each performer giving their unique take in true camp cabaret fashion.
The jokes come thick and fast, but the harmonies come even thicker, and the vocal talents of these artists cannot be understated, with 4 part harmonies and powerhouse solos astonishing us here, there and everywhere.
Blü Romantic bravely takes on the first solo number, performing West Side Story’s ‘Maria’ with sensitivity and heart, which contrasted quite starkly with the majority of the show, but showcased their vocal range exquisitely.
Dahlia Rivers leans into her sexy persona with a (somewhat patchy) rendition of ‘Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend’, wittily peppering it with 21st-century references to the likes of HM Samuel.
The stand out star has to be Alanna Boden, with diva vocals creating an electric atmosphere song after song, and when put alongside Fatt Butchers equally expressive and smooth harmonies, the songs absolutely exploded. A particular favourite was Alanna’s rendition of Funny Girls ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’, which was filled with rigour.
Fatt Butcher expertly closes Act 1, taking on the ‘11 o’clock number’ (a phrase I learnt during the show too!) from Gypse, ‘Roses Turn’. They make it absolutely clear that the spotlight is where they belong, and utterly brought the house down.
Act 2 took us on an entirely different but equally raucous journey, which twisted, ate up, and spat back out the most dragged up version of The Sound of Music you ever did see. While this may have lacked a touch of the finesse of the first act, the chaos provided us with a hilariously flamboyant bunch of laughs (even if some of it was a little tongue in cheek).
Undoubtedly, this show brought about unparalleled joy and deserves great recognition for its uniqueness and sheer audacity. Send in the Clowns are paving the way for a new kind of drag, which has its audiences in absolute stitches one second, with their jaws dropped to the floor the next. I am really looking forward to seeing how they can top this!
