Fatt Butcher on new show Little Flop of Horrors: ‘Filthy, outrageous, silly … with an extraordinary amount of d*ck jokes’ (EXCLUSIVE)
The Midlands drag collective Send in The Clowns' latest show is touring in Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham
By Dale Fox
Drag collective Send in The Clowns are back, this time diving headfirst into the darkly comedic side of musical theatre with Little Flop of Horrors.
Led by cabaret powerhouse and Drag Idol UK winner Fatt Butcher, the troupe turn stage classics on their head, blending comedy, live vocals and the kind of DIY chaos only drag can deliver.
Dahliah Rivers, Blü Romantic and Alanna Boden complete the Midlands drag dream (or is that ‘nightmare’?) team. Following their sell-out debut at The Wardrobe Theatre, Little Flop of Horrors promises an unforgettable night of queer musical theatre where anything can go spectacularly wrong.
Here, the outrageous Fatt Butcher talks about the show, the group’s unique ensemble dynamic, and what makes Midlands drag so distinct.
Tell us about Little Flop of Horrors
Send in The Clowns is a live vocal drag revue show celebrating the magic and madness of musical theatre. We do a mix of cabaret and also recreate our own parody version of entire iconic musicals in about 25 minutes. It’s filthy, outrageous, silly, and joyful queer musical comedy – with an extraordinary amount of dick jokes.
Each show we take on a new theme. In this one, Little Flop of Horrors, we’re looking at musical theatre villains, and why they’re always queer. So people can expect music from Wicked, Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, Cabaret and loads more.
Why did you choose the characters that are in it?
We’ve been thinking about why villains are such great roles, but also why are they so queer coded. For example, Ursula in The Little Mermaid was literally based on Divine and Bette Midler… two gay men.
We’re also in a time where queer people, and particularly trans people and drag performers, are being portrayed as villains, and we’ve picked characters who reflect that and our own experiences (as well as the greatest threat to humanity… demon twinks).
Why has Send in The Clowns become known as a cult favourite?
I really don’t think there is another drag show out there like Send in The Clowns. We’ve created our own universe for Clowns – each show has a story. In this one, for example, we’re arrested by Andrew Lloyd Webber for slagging off his shows and condemned to a lifetime of hard labour, before we break free and take our revenge. So in each edition we’re building on the world we’ve created and audiences are really loving coming along for the ride. Every show is unique.
We’re also giving you four-part big vocal harmonies which people don’t expect from drag. At the same time, we’ve still retained the DIY element of drag that I love so much. Everything’s made of cardboard, we only have a few days rehearsal – its divine chaos; anything could go wrong at any time. People tend to see one show and then come back over and over again – some of our audiences in Birmingham have been coming to our shows for four years. It’s been incredible to get to share that and start building communities around the show as we’ve started to tour the UK too.
You’re a proud Midlands queen. What makes Midlands drag unique?
I grew up in Birmingham and have lived here for the last 10 years – it’s formed my understanding of myself. I think what’s great about so much Midlands drag is it’s got its roots in the bastard traditions of old school drag (we’re hosts and talkers), but we also know how to turn a LOOK.
It’s good to remind people there is loads of queer is talent outside of London. Midlanders tend to also be deeply insane and self-deprecating, which is a great mix for comedy. We take our work seriously but try not to take ourselves too seriously – we’ll commit 100% to a bit and we’re not afraid to be ugly. That’s exciting for me.
A friend’s visiting the Midlands for the first time. Where do you take them?
Are they hot? my home is available…. But come to Queens Heath Pride in King’s Heath. It’s without a doubt one of the best community Prides in the UK, with no corporate sponsors. To me, that feels like what Pride is about. It’s irreverent and political, and community focused and still manages to be a great party.
The inevitable dream for many a queen is to end up on Drag Race UK. Do you see that for yourself?
I’ve got really mixed feelings about it, to be honest. I was one of those people watching the first season of Drag Race at 2am when it first aired. The show has provided me with a lot of joy, but it also presents a limited view of what drag is. There’s so much more to drag than Drag Race – where are the kings, things, and weirdos? I don’t really see much drag that looks like mine on there, and if they are cast they never win. I’d only be interested in winning it!
Sell Little Flop of Horrors in one line
If you like musical theatre you’ll love it; if you hate musical theatre you’ll love it even more.
That, or: I will blow you if you buy a ticket.
Little Flop of Horrors dates and tickets
Little Flop of Horrors tickets are available for the following dates:
Birmingham: 12 and 13 September at Old Joint Stock Theatre
Mancester: 16 – 18 September at Hope Mill Theatre
Bristol: 7 – 8 November at Wardrobe Theatre
Birmingham: January 2026, with tickets going on sale on 26 September at Birmingham Rep.