Reuben Kaye reckons you can joke about anything, 'it's just how you do it'

Reuben Kaye, the newly appointed artistic director of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, navigates the art form with an unflinching spirit, even after facing controversy. A decade into his career, Kaye has garnered acclaim, including a shared prize at the Sydney Comedy Festival, but has also faced backlash, notably for a joke about Jesus on "The Project" in 2023. The incident led to apologies, numerous complaints, and even death threats, forcing him to cancel shows.

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I think more than any other art form, and Australians lead the way in a lot of art forms overseas, we really do, cabaret is where we truly shine, because there is no other nation that has as its core value self-mocking, self-awareness, a self-hatred, almost.

Despite these challenges, Kaye remains unbowed. He sees Australian cabaret as a unique space where artists truly shine, attributing this to a national characteristic of "self-mocking, self-awareness, a self-hatred, almost." He argues that Australia's isolation allows artists to view international art forms through a "tilted, mocking, sardonic, sometimes absurdist lens," which is perfectly suited for cabaret. This perspective, he believes, gives Australians a distinct advantage in the genre.

Kaye further elaborates on this by pointing to Australia's "larrikin spirit" and its love for "oddballs." He cites historical figures like Ned Kelly, whose followers wore dresses, and Captain Moonlight, a gay bushranger, as examples of camp being central to Australian identity. He suggests that the nation's historically macho image has always had a counterpoint in "a man in a dress," and that this embrace of the unconventional extends to turning cultural icons into musicals, referencing examples like Phar Lap, Schapelle Corby, and Shane Warne.

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We have at our core one of our national heroes, Ned Kelly, whose team wore dresses. We have Captain Moonlight, the gay bushranger. We've always had camp at the centre of our identity.

Reflecting on his role at the festival, Kaye acknowledges that being a "political artist isn't a choice, it's dictated by the art form." He suggests that cabaret has the power to shape or heal the world, indicating his intention to bring this impactful approach to his leadership of the Adelaide Cabaret Festival.

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I think cabaret shapes the world or helps to heal the world in some way. Being a political artist isn't a choice, it's dictated by the art form.