Adelaide, it’s time to limber up and brace yourselves – the one and only Reuben Kaye is back for the Fringe with not one, but two huge shows. The loud, politically active, queer, brash, multi award-winning Australian comedian, singer and writer will be bringing his much loved The Kaye Hole to The Garden of Unearthly Delights along with his new show, APOCALIPSTIK.
Reuben recently spoke with Glam Adelaide’s Arts Editor, Ben Stefanoff, about his new show, his life performing around the world and why he prides himself on being honest and his authentic self on stage, with no filter.
“I think we’re in a moment in history now where honesty is not just necessary, it’s vital. There’s too much polite chat in the world. It’s not how things get done — it’s not how things change. And it’s also not how you connect with people. You don’t connect with people by avoiding the topics. It also stems from the types of performers I was raised on. I’ve always loved and I learned from the performers who didn’t hold back.”
Reuben has just returned to Australia after a hugely successful UK tour. We asked Reuben if he finds he has to adapt his performances around the world.
“It’s actually very funny because I get asked this question a lot. Often what I need to adapt is the names of people and places. But it’s remarkable how much we’re all going through the same thing. Certainly with politicians — it always seems like it’s the same scandals across the board, across the world. There’s always someone who’s got their bits where they’re not meant to be. There’s someone who’s stealing money somewhere. I never hold back, no matter where I am around the world, because everyone around the world needs to hear it, and wants to hear it. We’re all going through the same thing. We’re actually not as divided as we think. We’re all scared, trapped, angry, and we’re all ready to laugh. Which is why festivals like the Fringe are so important.”
It wouldn’t be a Fringe without Reuben Kaye. Reuben shared with us what it is about festivals like the Fringe that he loves.
“They keep employing me,” he laughed.
“They’re the places I got my start in. This is how I got my start properly, as a one-man show, as the entity that I am now is because of festivals like the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Perth Fringe Festival that gave me the space. So if ever anyone from Adelaide, the city of churches, has a problem with me, I’m like, well, babe, you started it, you made me.”
Reuben’s band features several South Australians.
“Two members of our touring band this year are longtime members and are from Adelaide. In fact, the first band members I ever had are Adelaide musos. There’s something in the water in Adelaide that makes the musos in Adelaide top notch. They are brilliant. I mean, it almost makes up for the fact that Adelaide water is so hard — you need strong teeth because it’s so chewy.”
Alongside his much loved The Kaye Hole, Reuben is bringing his brand new show to the Fringe – APOCALIPSTIK.
“Audiences will get cracking songs as usual. The music in the show is fantastic. This is my first year doing all original songs. You won’t have ever heard these songs before, but they feel like immediate classics. I know that sounds like I’m blowing smoke up my own backside, but I have warmed up, and I’ve got a deep heat pack on my lumbar region. It’s fast, it’s funny, It’s addressing all the big issues and all the big things that we’re scared of. It’s poking fun at Boogeyman because it’s the only way we can take power back. I know a lot of us feel angry, scared or helpless, but I want people to know that helpless doesn’t mean hopeless, and it doesn’t mean powerless.
“It also tells the story of my uncle, who has the most incredible life. With everything from pornography to robbing banks to escaping East Berlin, he is a testament to what trapped people can do and what trapped people are capable of. I think that’s a lesson we could all stand to learn today.”
The Kaye Hole will run between March 8 and 16 in The Vagabond, Garden of Unearthly Delights.
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/reuben-kaye-the-kaye-hole-af2024
APOCALIPSTIK will be playing between March 5 and 17, also in The Vagabond, Garden of Unearthly Delights.
https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/reuben-kaye-apocalipstik-af2024
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