Reuben Kaye will be sharing his thoughts from the Stockholm Burlesque Festival. Image: John-Paul Bichard
Producer and compere Reuben Kaye is one of the brightest spots on the London circuit, not least because of his acclaimed new show Cabaret des Distractions but he has many admirers outside the capital. Last week saw him in Berlin but now he is off to the land of Abba, opera and Ikea for the Stockholm International Burlesque Festival. For This Is Cabaret, he has kindly (and exclusively) offered to share his thoughts with us.
Part One
I wake up at 7. Everything hurts. If I’m up before 11 it must be a travel day. And it is. I’ve spent the week in Berlin hosting the opening and closing nights of the second International Burlesque Festival there. And it. Has. Been. Huge! Wonderful line up after wonderful line up. German performers are fierce, awesome creatures. If you have never seen Hedoluxe perform his own brand of mental, scary, hilarious boylesque or Tronicat Lamiez‘s take on a Ella Fitzgerald classic then you have not lived. Check ’em out!
But now I am on the pre-rush hour U-Bahn wishing I had a turban and dark glasses to match the fading bedraggled glamour as I lug my suitcases around like two deceased conjoined twins. There hasn’t been a night where I got home before 5am. And I managed to spend a ridiculous amount of money on the last 7 metres Ideé had of a gold sequinned fabric I would title “Early Homosexual”.
Early Homosexual is one thing I am not. My flight leaves in an hour. I’m off to host both nights of the Stockholm Burlesque Festival. I’m meant to be at Tegel Airport eating breakfast. I am not either of those things. I am on the U1 looking at my watch and perspiring under the disapproving glare of the passengers who look me down and further down with a stare that says “You are not on time. You are not German. Alles is most definitely NOT in ordnung.” They move away lest I infect them with disorganisation.
Let’s pray German efficiency makes up for my high-functioning alcoholic, Australian tardiness. I’d say pray for me but who to? Which deity guides shambolic cabaret performers? Perhaps somewhere a combination of Brecht and Danny LaRue are watching over this late homosexual.
You can follow the Stockholm Burlesque Festival on Facebook or their official site.
Watch this space for Part Two…
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