Set in motion by a phone call from Tina Arena, Reuben Kaye's orchestral cabaret enGORGED comes to Melbourne Recital Centre this month.
Comedian and cabaret performer Reuben Kaye is still pinching himself. On the final weekend of November, Kaye will perform enGORGEd at Melbourne Recital Centre, backed by an 18-piece orchestra.
Over the last decade, Kaye has built an international following with his blend of snappy humour, unexpected pathos and extravagant musical numbers. He’s a regular critics’ favourite at Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Edinburgh Fringe, and he recently played the role of Herod in Timothy Sheader’s production of Jesus Christ Superstar.
Reuben Kaye – enGORGEd
- Where: Elisabeth Murdoch Hall, Melbourne Recital Centre
- Saturday 29 November 2025 – 8pm
- Get tickets here
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But Kaye’s elevation to stately venues such as the Recital Centre’s Elisabeth Murdoch Hall is not something he’s taking for granted.
“It’s just insane to have a cabaret artist like me, performing an artform that was born in basements, born under railway yards, in attics, just outside the footfall of fascism, and now to have it here in concert halls, in recital halls, and yet still under the footfall of fascism – and yet somehow this is like a celebrated form now.”
enGORGEd premiered at Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2023. The show was commissioned by that year’s artistic director, Tina Arena. Kaye says the 90s pop icon’s belief in the concept was fundamental for getting the show off the ground.
“You just don’t say no when Tina Arena calls you on the phone and you didn’t even know Tina Arena had your number,” he laughs. “That’s when you’re like, ‘Oh, shit’s real. I’m being stalked by Tina Arena.’ It’s a real moment of, I am in chains.”
A few months ago, Kaye was announced as the artistic director of the 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival. He’ll also be taking enGORGEd to the Sydney Opera House in January as part of Sydney Festival. “I’m still joyously revelling in this shock and surprise that anyone allows me anywhere, to be honest,” Kaye says.
The enGORGEd repertoire includes a mix of covers and original songs. Kaye’s originals tend to have an element of sociopolitical potency. For instance, one song was written after Kaye attended his 10-year high school reunion.
“High school, obviously, was a shit time for me, real shit,” Kaye says. “And I was so shocked because suddenly, all of the boys in my year came up to me and apologised to me. So, I kind of had this realisation that these boys had been holding onto their horrible behaviour almost as much as I had been.”
He continues, “But me, as the victim of the bullying, I had to process it. I had to heal, right? But they, as the perpetrators, they don’t ever get the dialogue or the opportunity or know how do that. So, in a way, my opinion changed. We’ve got to look at men, as a whole, as victims of a society that is not interested in making them better.”
Another original song is about the trappings of immense wealth. “I’m writing the character of this Bezos, Zuckerberg-type, Musk-type. And oh my god, he’s vile,” Kaye explains.
“There are parts of the show which are really up and really fun and camp, but we’re not shying away from brutality and the reality of things.”
Most of the covers reside in the former category, including a mash-up of Aerosmith’s Dude (Looks Like a Lady) and Whitney Houston’s Queen Of The Night, which finds Kaye running through the crowd, bringing frivolous chaos with him. There are also show-stopping performances of Will You Love Me Tomorrow and Tony Bennett’s If I Ruled the World.
“I’ve always loved that song,” Kaye says of Bennett’s 1965 easy listening classic. “But listening to the lyrics, I realised it’s all the promises of fascist dictators. All of a sudden it takes on, in the current climate, this sinister vibe. So we sort of reimagined it as this bombastic, dark and terrifying anthem.”
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Given his rising stature, Kaye’s audiences now stretch well beyond the queer community, and this is something he’s conscious of when planning his shows.
“I look at my audience and I don’t see a niche audience. What I see is members from every single catchment area of society,” he says. “So, we have to make sure there’s something for everyone in every bit of the show, but also something that’s going to surprise everyone.”
But despite the extravagant scale of enGORGEd, Kaye hasn’t lost his subversive edge. “I don’t know if everyone in Australia is celebrating the idea of me being in concert halls,” he says. “But you know what, if you’re not pissing people off, you’re not on the right path.”
Reuben Kaye will perform enGORGEd at Melbourne Recital Centre on November 28 & 29. Tickets here.
This article was made in partnership with Melbourne Recital Centre.
