FRINGE REVIEW: Behold, the drink-spittingly good Reuben Kaye
A gifted artist is one thing – but one that uses their voice for good is another.
Bringing his new self-titled show to Fringe World Festival 2021, global cabaret sensation Reuben Kaye has given us A-class comedy, talent and vivid storytelling all in one fell swoop.
It was easy to see why the man has been dubbed the Christopher Nolan of cabaret. Towering above us in his Dracula-like getup and suede heeled boots – the acquisition of which he hilariously recounted with a Stormzy cover – Reuben Kaye had plenty of surprises for us in store.
Both eloquent and unapologetic, Reuben Kaye had everyone enamoured from the second he walked into The Rechabite hall. Even with a lengthy prelude, the star had no mercy in dishing out countless laugh-out-loud jokes and taking jabs at the audience. Punchline after punchline, we were caught off guard by clever material tackling the loopholes of classism, religion, climate change resistance and sex – as well as unethical dog breeding (someone’s finally said it!)
Not only did he actively shoot down queerphobia, but he also singlehandedly deconstructed oppressive frameworks like toxic masculinity and colonialism. With his words, he was willing to go where no cabaret star has gone before: the satirical depths of modern society. Nothing was off limits. Plus, with the likes of our coveted premier Mark McGowan mentioned and other flawless Perth references, it appears the artist does his research.
Yet even when you strip away the bedazzling lights, live band and costumes, you simply cannot dull Reuben Kaye’s shine. In more heartfelt chapters, we were delivered song and dance that took us back in time and painted a better autobiographical picture for us – one that made us hold our breath as we listened to his struggles with coming out. As he remarked, it was a ‘meditation on identity reclamation’ which succeeded; in an hour, we learnt that no one can truly define Reuben Kaye but himself.
For the artist, his greatest weapon is his voice. As the ringleader of the night, it was a privilege to watch him vibrantly signal us towards unifying for change in a seemingly apocalyptic world – especially in such a charismatic, quick-witted fashion.
