Reuben Kaye (

né The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Krum; born 1984) is an Australian singer, writer,

drag artist A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and have ...

, and comedian. Kaye's career is primarily based in the UK, but he has performed at

comedy festival A comedy festival is a celebration of comedy with many shows, venues, comedy performers (such as stand up comics, sketch troupes, variety performers, etc.) and is held over a specific block of time. Normally, each festival has a diverse range of ...

s internationally, including in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

Montréal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, and

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

. Since 2019, Kaye has hosted the comedy

podcast A podcast is a Radio program, program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. Typically, a podcast is an Episode, episodic series of digital audio Computer file, files that users can download to a personal device or str ...

''Come to Daddy'', in which he interviews other comedians, and has made numerous appearances on television as well as having a role as a

voice actor Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...

in an animated film released in 2024.

Early life and education

Reuben Kaye was born as Reuben Krum in 1984 to painter and sculptor Lazar Krum and filmmaker Karin Altmann. Grandparents on both sides were Jewish immigrants who fled Europe during or after World War II. His maternal grandmother became a couturier on

Collins Street, Melbourne Collins Street is a major street in the Melbourne central business district, central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was laid out in the first survey of Melbourne, the original 1837 Hoddle Grid, and soon became the most ...

. Kaye was raised in the

suburb of

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

. He was diagnosed with

ADHD Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and emotional dysregulation that are excessive and pervasive, impairing in multiple ...

as a child, but his parents chose to not put him on medication. He came out as

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

at age 14, and faced bullying from his peers at school which left him with a scar on his eyebrow. He studied

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatre, theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, ...

at the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

Style and artistry

Kaye is recognisable for his signature drag makeup, and often performs with a full backing band. His performances combine

stand-up comedy Stand-up comedy is a performance directed to a live audience, where the performer stands on a stage (theatre), stage and delivers humour, humorous and satire, satirical monologues sometimes incorporating physical comedy, physical acts. These ...

and

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

, and are queer and political. He has cited Wayne County & the Electric Chairs,

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

, and Maryanne Faithful as some of his inspirations.

Career

Live performances

Kaye began performing cabaret while living in

, but became more involved in the scene after moving to London at the age of 25. Kaye began wearing makeup during his performances in 2011, attributing the choice as a channel for his material, rather than self-expression. His first solo show, ''Success Story'', debuted in 2017, and was performed at the

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

and

Adelaide Fringe Adelaide Fringe, formerly Adelaide Fringe Festival, is Australia’s biggest arts festival and is the world's second-largest annual arts festival (after the Edinburgh Festival Fringe), held in the South Australian capital of Adelaide. Between ...

festivals. In 2019, Kaye created the self-titled show ''Reuben Kaye'', as well as a late-night variety show ''The Kaye Hole'', and brought both shows to the

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

. Kaye returned to performances in 2021 after the

COVID pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fev ...

and vocal surgery with his new show ''The Butch is Back'', which he performed through December 2023, including in at the Edinburgh and

comedy festivals, and at a nearly month-long residency in London's

Southbank Centre Southbank Centre is an arts centre in London, England. It is adjacent to the separately owned National Theatre and BFI Southbank. It comprises the three main performance spaces – the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Purcell R ...

. His 2023

Edinburgh fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

show was the second-highest reviewed show at the festival. Starting at the Perth Fringe in January 2024, Kaye began performing his new show ''Apocalipstick''.

Television appearances

In 2019, Kaye appeared on British television on the Channel 4 show ''Kids React to Drag''. He has also appeared on other UK shows, such as ''The Apprentice: You’re Fired'' in 2023. He has also appeared on Australian television programmes like '' Spicks and Specks'', '' The Project'', and ''

Celebrity Letters and Numbers ''Celebrity Letters and Numbers'' is an Australian comedy panel game show on SBS which premiered on 2 October 2021. It is a revived version of the game show ''Letters and Numbers'', which aired on SBS from 2010 to 2012, with an altered format w ...

''. In 2023, Kaye appeared on an episode of the Channel 10 news and talk show programme '' The Project'', where he controversially joked about Jesus: "I love any man who can get nailed for three days straight and come back for more!" The

Australian Communications and Media Authority The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is an Australian government statutory authority within the Communications portfolio. ACMA was formed on 1 July 2005 with the merger of the Australian Broadcasting Authority and the Aus ...

reportedly received over 200 complaints about the incident. He received significant backlash for this both from publications like the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

'', as well as from social media users, some of whom sent him death threats. Subsequent live performances by Kaye were postponed due to protests against him.

Podcasts

Since 2019, Kaye has hosted ''Come to Daddy'', a podcast about the parental upbringing of various comedian guests, including

Rosie Jones Rosie Luisa Jones (born 24 June 1990) is a British comedian, writer and actress. After starting her career as a writer on panel shows, she went on to appear as a guest on '' The Last Leg'', ''8 Out of 10 Cats'', ''8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdo ...

Desiree Burch Desiree Lea Burch (born January 26, 1979) is an American comedian, actress, television presenter, and voice actress. Originally from Diamond Bar, California, Burch has also lived in New York, Streatham, Croydon and Peckham, having moved to London ...

, and Daniel Sloss. At the 2023 Just for Laughs festival, Kaye hosted the first live version of the podcast with guest

Urzila Carlson Urzila Carlson ( ; (born 15 February 1976) is a South African-born New Zealand comedian and actor, known for her stand-up performances as well as her appearances on television programs in both New Zealand and Australia. Carlson is a regular pan ...

. Kaye has also guested on numerous other podcasts, including Jordan Gray's ''Transplaining'', Catherine Bohart and Helen Bauer's ''Trusty Hogs'', and Abigoliah Schamaun and Joe Wells's ''Neurodivergent Moments''.

Film

Kaye was one of a cast of voice actors in the Australian comedy sci-fi feature film '' Lesbian Space Princess'', which premiered at the

Adelaide Film Festival The Adelaide Film Festival (AFF, formerly ADLFF) is a film festival usually held for two weeks in mid-October in movie theater, cinemas in Adelaide, South Australia. Originally presented wikt:Special:Search/biennial, biennially in March from 2 ...

in October 2024.

Recognition and awards

In 2021, Kaye won the Best Cabaret award from both the

and

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

fringe festivals, and was nominated for the Most Outstanding Show award from the

Melbourne Comedy Festival The Melbourne International Comedy Festival (MICF) is the largest stand-alone comedy festival and the largest international comedy festival in the world. First held in 1987, it takes place annually in Melbourne over four weeks, typically starti ...

. In 2022, ''The Butch Is Back'' won three

Green Room Awards The Green Room Awards are Australian peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, theatre companies, independent theatre, musical theatre, contemporary and experimental performance, and opera. The awards, which were established in ...

for Best Cabaret Artist, Best Production and Best Musical Direction. In 2023, it also was nominated for NextUp's Biggest Award in Comedy, and placed second on the

British Comedy Guide British Comedy Guide or BCG (formerly the British Sitcom Guide or BSG) is a Great Britain, British website covering British comedy, British comedies. BCG publishes guides to TV and radio situation comedy, sketch shows, comedy dramas, satire, va ...

's list of the highest-reviewed shows of the 2023

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaye, Reuben Singers from Melbourne Living people 21st-century Australian comedians 1984 births Comedians from Melbourne Jewish Australian comedians Australian emigrants to England Jewish male comedians Australian cabaret performers Australian people of Polish-Jewish descent Australian people of German-Jewish descent Australian LGBTQ comedians Victorian College of the Arts alumni Gay Jews People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder