Reuben Kaye: The Butch is Back - Review @ MICF 2022

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Wed 20 Apr 2022 - Sun 24 Apr 2022

It's a good feeling to get back out there and support the Arts again. Life would be dull and boring without live shows to entertain and fuel our creative souls. That's one thing Reuben Kaye is good at; feeding you material that more than satisfies. The Butch is Back ! Part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2022 , Reuben is playing at The Malthouse - Merlyn Theatre, 113 Sturt Street, Southbank, and there are only four dates left from Wed 20 to Sat 23 April at 9pm and Sun 24 April at 8pm. Get your tickets here by clicking on your chosen date, or risk waiting another year! You should literally not waste a second to get your ticket to The Butch is Back. It is all that, and more.


The Malthouse is especially fabulous by night, beautifully lit. Renown as a contemporary, boundary-pushing theatre, they cultivate Australian talent and curate irreverent, courageous, live experiences. They collaborate with local and international artists to create work that puts provocative, entertaining and authentic human experiences on stage. Seen as the champion of artistic and cultural diversity, they advocate for alternative points of view and are the voice of 'the other'. Currently hosting quite a few Comedy Festival shows, check out their ticketing page to discover other comedic talents and catch them before the Comedy Festival ends on 24 April 2022. There's an outdoor and indoor bar with soft drinks and snacks, and toe-tapping music serenading you, making it an easy wait for your show to start.


In other shows you'll find Victoria's funniest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander comedians in Kungari Comedy ; absurdist storytelling and physical comedy in Poncho: Keep it Up! - Dani Cabs ; a one woman truly magic show - without any tricks in The Disappearing Act ; tales, scenes, diary excerpts, and books in Stories about my Body - Morgana O'Reilly ; three mates with no talent but a whole lot of confidence with physical comedy superstars Thy - Thus - 'Twas The Travelling Sisters ; a hysterical glimpse into the life of an obsessed teenager trying to find his path as a magician with Dom Chambers: A Boy and his Deck ; and last but definitely not the least, Reuben Kaye's The Butch is Back .


Having been to three other shows at the comedy festival where the setup was very basic - a room, bare stage, set lighting that stayed on the whole time, and a comedian alone, mic in hand, this show was an unexpected, pleasant surprise. This was no simple stage set up; everything about it was splendid and befitting of a large scale theatre performance. Lighting/light show, gobo patterns on the floor, and backup musicians on hand, it was the perfect setting for the superstar about to tread the boards. This was a show of comedy, musicianship, theatre, cabaret, and true entertainment that brought the audience to its feet at the end of the night in a round of lengthy, rowdy applause, and a standing ovation.


The Butch is Back captures you in more ways than one. The star of the show just sizzles with star quality and presence; Reuben has you mesmerised and elicits your adoration. Tall, handsome and beautiful at the same time with chiseled features, you almost want him to touch you and single you out to be a small part of his act. Whether he sings to you, lays on your lap (with permission - he was so polite) or drapes the dangling tassels off his microphone over your head while he tells a story, you just want to bask in his magnetic magnificence. You have to be there to know what I mean. The video below is just 5 mins of Reuben. He gives you nearly an hour and a half of energetic, edgy entertainment and witticisms on everything from politics to personal stories, rich cultural critique, lavish stories and song, and more, that touches on the highs and lows of his life. Faster than a speeding bullet, the words race through his lips with ease and eloquence.


Everthing that's been said about Reuben is true. Fast, on the edge, brutally funny, camp, hilarious, blisteringly smart, acid wit, unforgettable - it all applies. It's no surprise he was the Winner Best Cabaret 2021 Adelaide Fringe; Winner Best Cabaret and Variety Show 2021 Perth FringeWorld; and 2021 Melbourne International Comedy Festival Award for Most Outstanding Show Nominee. Seriously, get a ticket . At the end of the night, Reuben patiently gives every adoring fan a photo-opportunity as he stands there in front of a very long line from a packed house, saying hello, giving hugs and having photos taken. On the side is a table filled with merchandise you can purchase as a memento of a fantastic night. There are signature tee-shirts, Reuben Kaye eye masks, XL Reuben Kaye brooches, and more.


Q & A
I waited till the very end in line, taking the opportunity to ask Reuben six questions that took but a minute and forty eight seconds to ask and answer.

1) You're a multi-faceted artist; a singer, performer, cabaret artist; but how do you see yourself?
I see myself as lucky enough to be working. I identify as whatever is going to get me the gig, and whatever I need to do to tell the story.

2) For someone who has never seen your performance, how would you describe it?
Indescribable, genre defining, brilliant, funny, a laugh riot, a good time, take a risk on it.

3) Do you believe in order for an artist to grow, they need to do things that scare them before they're ready?
I think you need to face things that makes society uncomfortable. Not yourself. Don't centre yourself in the work, centre the world around you.

4) Whom or what currently influences or inspires you, and how have you directly or indirectly incorporated those influences into your work?
The show is a jigsaw puzzle. I'm a cultural magpie. I grab and take from hundreds of different references because I think that's the best way to come up with something original. If you have just one or two references, then its derivative and easily pickable, so there's everything. It's a complete machine gun thing; spit a couple of bullets out and hope that one of them hits.

5) What is one thing that someone would be surprised to learn about you?
I'm actually very shyyyyy (voice deepening and lowering) - so I ask, Really? 'Bullshit!' is the quick come back with a cheeky smile. Well, this time he's not talking or telling *sigh*.

6) Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Come on down to the Malthouse. Come and see art by people who don't look like you, who don't think like you. It'll change you and make you better as a person.

I thanked Reuben and he generously replied, 'It's my pleasure'. Such a good night. Do support the arts and catch this masterful showman before he's gone.



#cabaret
#comedy
#community_events
#festivals
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#humour
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#april
!date 20/04/2022 -- 24/04/2022
%wnmelbourne