From The Editor: The Entertainers
Andrew Creagh celebrates Reuben Kaye, Dan Hamill, Franek Skywalker and the entertainers who create their own opportunities.
Celebrating entertainers who refuse to fit the mould.
The first time I saw Reuben Kaye perform was at the suggestion of my friend Scott. He described Reuben’s show as part cabaret, part standup, with lots of jokes that are really filthy. He had me at filthy.
At the theatre, I was surprised to find that Reuben, dressed in his man/drag peacock regalia, was checking the tickets at the door himself. Very cool, I thought, he’s already building rapport with the audience.
His show was great. He had a live band, and I was blown away by his voice – unconventional, but so powerful and emotive. The show was autobiographical and quite moving in places and, yes, at others filthy!
At one point, during some banter, he casually compared himself to Princess Diana. I was the only person in the audience who laughed. And it wasn’t a laugh; it was more like a weird snort-sneeze, and it was loud! Reuben spotted me in the audience, made eye contact, and said, “Bitch!”
Later, through my work with DNA, I interviewed Reuben a few times and got to know him. He is intense, always thinking, kind of on high alert, and uncensored.
I’ve seen him perform several times. Once was on a P&O Pride Cruise a couple of years ago. The energy in the room was electric. I have never seen a performer and an audience so connected. In fact, Reuben and an audience member ended up pashing! It was a moment.
Another extraordinary show was when he performed at The Enmore in Sydney, a year after the originally scheduled date was postponed. It was during WorldPride, and a Christian group had threatened violence outside the venue if Reuben’s show went ahead. I’ll write that again: a Christian group had threatened violence. Police believed the threat was credible. So the rescheduled performance felt incredibly important.
We’ve also socialised. We were both at the Melbourne premiere of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, and went for a drink afterwards. Reuben was in drag. A group of young straight men asked if they could join us. We said yes, they bought us drinks, and then all their questions about gender, sexuality, gay sex, masculinity, etc came flooding out. They were intrigued by Reuben – he’s physically imposing, and masculine – but with a face of makeup that screams “Hollywood glamour”. Later, Reuben apologised: “I’m sorry, that must have been boring for you. You’ve probably heard those questions a million times.”
I have. But it was great to hear his reactions to them and hear his lived experience. Entertainers like Reuben, who don’t fit the mould, have to create their own work and make their own opportunities. They’ve usually had to answer the tough questions about themselves and their place in the world. And when they succeed, they bring all that wisdom with them, and we get to sit comfortably in our seats and experience it vicariously. A few filthy jokes help, too!
This month, we celebrate entertainers. Reuben is touring his enGORGEd show and his upcoming Hard To Swallow.
Dan Hamill is stripping down and oiling up to play a gladiator in the new season of Spartacus. “Your uniqueness is your gold… a superpower rather than a hindrance,” he tells Matt Myers in this issue.
Franek Skywalker was a Disney star as a kid. Today he’s an actor, surfer, fitness fanatic, OnlyFans creator, a committed Christian and proudly gay. That’s a lot of boxes for one young man to tick!
Harry Greenwood, whose latest role is playing a robot, is our Straight Mate this month. “Straights are boring,” he tells us.
And Tomas Kantor is starring in a one-man show at Midsumma this month called Sugar. “The heart and soul of the show is about living unapologetically and loudly as who you are,” he says.
There’s plenty more in this issue, including our first Indian cover model and our terrific travel stories: Where The Boys Are and Turkey.
Andrew Creagh, Founding Editor
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