Finessing the Fabulous Filth

Coral Drouyn talks to Reuben Kaye about his impact on the world stage, before his return to the Edinburgh Festival and a world tour.

He’s Fabulous and Filthy, and a world Superstar-in-waiting. It will happen, it’s inevitable, it’s simply impossible to ignore such talent. To know Reuben Kaye’s work is to love it …or loathe it. But Reuben doesn’t concern himself with the haters. “They’re not my audience,” he tells me. “They’re not open to being challenged, so we have no common ground on which to connect. If I could afford to, I’d pay them to stay away.”

Reuben knows his audience. He loves them, and they love him in return.

“I’ve taken to greeting them when they arrive at a gig,” he confesses. “It’s partly to see what the mix is, but also to suss why they’re here, and what they’re expecting … just so I can make sure they get more than they’re prepared for. It’s also a way for me to connect. It’s that connection that decides whether it’s a great show…or just a good one.” (Reuben doesn’t do bad shows …ever.)

Let’s face it, Kaye is excessive, and a teensy bit too much for some people. He’s also a marvellous entertainer who is hard to categorise. He wears makeup and eyelashes that look like two Lhasa Apsos are surfing his eyelids, yet he is not drag queen. He is stunningly beautiful, yet can be grotesque. He is openly gay and calls himself a faggot – yet he is comfortable in his obvious masculinity. He’s a paradox wrapped in an enigma and topped with feathers and sequins and a dollop of Rum Dark Chocolate sauce … nothing vanilla about this guy! He is Fierce!

Photographer: Jax Moussa

To some that makes him controversial, confronting and SCARY…as witnessed by the furore at his remarks about Jesus on television last year. Fans talk about his bravery, but really what they mean is his honesty. Kaye’s persona is his true self taken to extremes then amplified tenfold. Off stage he’s very smart and, when he’s not “on”, given to introspective and intelligent discussion about his alter ego.

“When I started doing cabaret, I was perhaps more tentative. I just wanted to entertain an audience, but there was no agenda…no subtext if you like,” he says openly.

I’ve been watching him for ten years, and mention that it seems the filthier he becomes, the deeper the subtext is… and the more important the performance becomes.

“It’s just worked out that way, but the difference is now I’m conscious of it. It isn’t that I set out to change thinking, or even to make people think at all, but it is true that the more I learn about myself, the more I deal with who I am, the more subliminal it becomes to help some in the audience come to terms with who they are. Whether it’s their sexuality, their prejudices…or even their personal fears.”

Photographer: Vincent Van Berkel

“About being gay?” I ask doubtfully. “Surely we’re past all that in this day and age?”

“You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you?” he answers ruefully. “But the truth is, it’s just as hard to come out, especially to family, as it ever was. I see boys…young men…bring their parents to the show to test their reactions, to prepare them for coming out. Somehow it makes it easier for them. I think, I hope, that maybe they see I am challenging, yes…we are all meant to be challenged, and to challenge ourselves, every day in this life… but I am not aggressive, I’m not about hate, I’m not someone to be afraid of…unless you have a phobia about eyelashes. And I don’t bite…not unless you ask me nicely.”

It’s this excessiveness that is somehow reassuring to parents and other straights in the audience. I once heard a burly patron say, “I’d have a beer with him…he’s a good bloke and he loves him Mum and Dad.” High praise indeed…and without a trace of prejudice. He is breaking down barriers by the very nature of his extreme personality.

Reuben’s poignant and introspective piece about coming out to his father was cathartic to him…being able to openly bare his soul. Now it’s an important part of his performance. His vulnerability is there for all to see, and no matter how over the top his act may be, for those few minutes he’s just a kid, like any other kid, who wants to be held and told “it’s okay to be you.” It’s the connection he makes in those moments that is the road to superstardom, and it’s a rarity.

Photographer: Jax Moussa

Reuben is performing his last few shows in Australia before once again heading off to The Edinburgh Festival. He’s been before as a host and MC but now he is headlining with his own show. After that it’s a tour of Britain and Europe through October to December – another step on that path to Super-stardom. He won’t be back on home turf until 2024…with a new show.

“I still have to push the envelope further and I haven’t started writing it yet…but whatever I learn new about myself will be in there somewhere,” he says.

Which poses the question…no matter how much finesse he brings to it, when does the filth become too much?

“NEVER!” he answers, almost before I have finished the question. “As long as it’s true, and a part of me, and it’s honest, and hopefully funny, I’m not going to censor myself…and I hope the audience trusts me, and doesn’t censor me either.”

And I can’t argue with that!

You can catch Reuben at:

The Adelaide Cabaret Festival -16^th – 24^th June

Canberra - The Playhouse - 28^th June

Sydney Comedy Festival Encore – Enmore Theatre - 1^st July

Hobart – Wrest Point Showroom – Sat 8^th July

Gold Coast - HOTA - Wed 12^th July

And his last show for this year in Australia

Brisbane – The Princess Theatre - Friday 14^th July

Then,

Edinburgh Fringe Festival with two shows – 4^th - 26^th August.