Review: REUBEN KAYE: THE BUTCH IS BACK, Southbank Centre

With an opening that couldn’t be more over the top if it was broadcast from the International Space Station, the never knowingly underdressed Reuben Kaye sweeps the entire room into his particular brand of cabaret. Coming on like a one-man Moulin Rouge floorshow, he spits out caustic one liners like a rapping Henny Youngman. Those expecting anything smacking of Kander & Ebb, a variety show or cruise ship crooners will be sorely disappointed.

Kaye is well known to London audiences having ruled the roost with several epochal shows at the Cafe de Paris before international stardom beckoned. A poster outside the venue boasts a raft of five star reviews and it is difficult to see how anyone bar the ghost of Mary Whitehouse would disagree that comedy geniuses like this one are rarer than a repentant politician.

And it’s not just comedy that he excels at. His golden voice, sassy moves and ability to riff off a crowd are eminent from the off but later he effortlessly shows his skills as an actor when recounting how he came out to his parents and the long term pain he still feels at his father’s reaction. The dazzling smile, wicked charm and faux-diva pranking are reminiscent of his celebrated compatriot and cabaret confrère Meow Meow. Triple threat? Quadruple threat? Who knows, but we’re frankly surprised the British Army isn’t put on standby every time Kaye visits these shores.

All this praise does come with caveats. The first is that, even though it has the wit and intelligence of a latter-day George Carlin, the humour is unashamedly and brutally offensive and very much leans on the homosexual, proctological and scatological. Last year, one appearance on a live Australian TV led to waves of public outrage and all it took was one gag: on the topic of religion, he commented that "I love Jesus. I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more." 

And that’s relatively tame by his standards. No-one is safe as a punchline, not even the elderly or the Royal Family: the coronation is described as “putting stolen jewels on a ham hock”, and there’s a delicious gag about Prince Andrew and Princess Charlotte that is very likely libellous. Then, amongst all this epic shit talking, Kaye mic drops truth bombs like “drag queens pay taxes; churches pay hush money”.

The second caveat is that, even expanded from what audiences saw at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, it still heavily feels like a post-pandemic response over a year since theatres opened and shares much of the DNA with what was presented in an earlier version at Soho Theatre. That’s not a bad thing in and of itself - the show did win in London’s Off West End Awards’ cabaret category - but don’t go in expecting a completely fresh batch of gags. Even on current form, though, anyone would be hard put not to laugh up at least one lung by the end.

Reuben Kaye: The Butch Is Back is in the Purcell Room, Southbank Centre until 30 December.

Photo credit: Holly Jackson

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