I first met multi-hyphenate superstar Reuben Kaye in 2018.
He was performing at Chapel Off Chapel, an intimate theatre space not even remotely stable enough to hold a man of his personality and calibre. That show was unlike anything I’d ever seen before, partly because the person who took me to see it was my dad and it was 100% his idea. But mostly because Reuben himself is unlike anyone I’d ever seen before. Reuben Kaye is someone so truly singular that my brain buffers when trying to think of adjectives for him.
So, almost 10 years later, I was assigned to cover Hard to Swallow, Kaye’s newest show. Funky fresh off a slew of European tour dates, Hard to Swallow was touching down in Oz for the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Talk about kicking off my festival coverage with a bang!
Packing out the Athenaeum, Kaye was accompanied by his band, per usual, and kicked off the show with a dramatic outfit reveal, his shimmering pink suit only marginally outdone by the equally bedazzled faux penis piece, complete with tassel and total exclusion of backside coverage (great cheeks, by the way).
Having attended the VCA (Victorian College of the Arts), Kaye incorporates much of his vocal training into his shows, deftly combining his whip-sharp and cuttingly filthy comedy with equally debaucherous cabaret. And when I say, “vocal training”, I do mean it emphatically; I don’t recall much singing at the show back in 2018, so I was pleasantly shocked to hear that not only can Kaye legitimately sing, he’s got pipes! Like, Broadway power vocal-level musicality. This shouldn’t really surprise me all that much. After all, Kaye’s whole look should be a dead giveaway that he is a performer with a capital ‘P’, but I guess what I expected was to see something similar to that first show and what I got was something indescribably better.
Never one to shy away from being divisive, Hard to Swallow is incredibly topical, tackling frequent headlines like the declining childbirth rates and the “male loneliness epidemic” to the global rise of fascism and anti-trans legislation. With every subject he covers, whether through song or classic stand-up quips, Kaye’s observations are razor sharp, cuttingly smart, and just as likely to elicit a chagrined chuckle as a full-blown guffaw.
Just as he refuses to avoid prescient topics, Kaye also refuses to censor his language. As the name of the show so clearly suggests, Kaye’s specific brand of comedy is not for those who are easily offended or possessed with a shaky countenance. He will say some of the filthiest things you’ve ever heard in public, enough to make at least one patron exit early. No matter how mentally prepared you think you are, Kaye will still manage to shock you. What might surprise you even more is that he’ll also manage to lead you into emotionally heavy waters; reflections of war, bigotry, and hatred that lower your guard just long enough for him to land a blow below the belt. Reuben Kaye is a master of verbal sleight of hand.
Broadly speaking, Reuben Kaye was exactly as I remembered him; bold, cutting, and seemingly limitless. Personal highlights from this show include whipping an audience member in the face with his microphone’s luscious horse tail, watching him perform a lap dance at the front row then “struggle” to climb back on stage, the on-stage outfit change complete with audience participation, a handful of gold confetti, and the one time the band’s trombonist hit the classically hilarious “womp, womp, womp” during the opening number.
I feel unbelievably spoiled to have started my Melbourne International Comedy Festival run with a show as bombastic and hilariously outrageous as Reuben Kaye’s Hard to Swallow. If you’re looking for something to see this April, get out of your comfort zone and experience one of Australia’s smartest, empathetic, and brazen comedians. And yes, I took my dad.
Reuben Kaye’s Hard to Swallow is currently playing as part of the 2026 Melbourne International Comedy Festival at Athenaeum Theatre One until April 19th.
For more information and ticketing, visit:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/reuben-kaye-hard-to-swallow
https://www.reubenkaye.com
https://www.instagram.com/reubenkayeofficial
Photography supplied.