Reuben Kaye – Live and Intimidating

Not content with already having two different shows in production this year, the powerhouse that is Reuben Kaye has added a third before heading off to the Edinburgh Festival and then to conquer Europe with his unparalleled wit.

The new show is called Live and Intimidating, but in truth there is nothing intimidating about Kaye…. he is confronting, yes, but ultimately the choice is yours. (Though one hapless male victim of a mock seduction was told “If you look away, you’re a Homophobe.” )

The show could just as easily be called “Stripped Bare – and Loving It” for what we are seeing is the evolution of a Cabaret Star to an Icon who is a master iconoclast. That’s a contradiction in terms…but so is Reuben Kaye.

Part of this evolution is a “Less is More” approach…the feathers, wild costumes, foot high quiff and foot long eye-lashes are gone. The Kaye persona is still there, but the eyelashes are much shorter, the lippy follows his natural, already sensual lip-line, and the outfit consists of a pair of black velvet pants, a chiffon shirt and a Rhinestone choker. For the first time in the dozen or so years I have followed his career, Reuben Kaye wants to be HEARD rather than seen, and so the emphasis is on what he is saying. He has slowed down his delivery so that the audience can keep up with him – he pauses to let the full weight of the gag sink in. Every topic plays on a multi-layer of text and subtext, so we need to listen carefully. He says things we need to hear.

He still sings up a storm – from the rich notes of “Now is the winter of our discontent”, to an old favourite of his “Sailor Boy” – and to the remarkable “Will you still love me tomorrow?” in which the major chords are replaced by minor ones, giving the pop song the plaintive air of a Jewish Kaddish. It’s simply brilliant, and Kaye’s voice just gets better with age. It doesn’t hurt either that his band is as brilliant as ever.