{"id":36521,"date":"2026-06-23T01:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T01:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/36521\/"},"modified":"2026-06-23T01:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T01:39:10","slug":"cabaret-festival-review-reuben-kayes-happy-ending","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/australia\/36521\/","title":{"rendered":"Cabaret Festival Review: Reuben Kaye’s Happy Ending"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\t\t\t\tReuben Kaye dished up one final night of delicious performances to close the 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival<\/p>\n

Presented by:\u00a0Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 21 June, 2026<\/p>\n

For three scrumptious weekends, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival delivered a smorgasbord of incredible shows, carefully curated by the tantalising Reuben Kaye. The Delicious Revolution, this year\u2019s theme, saw world class cabaret acts descend on Adelaide and the Adelaide Festival Centre, but like all good things, it has sadly come to an end for this year. However, it didn\u2019t end without Reuben Kaye delivering one final late night performance that celebrated the incredible festival.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It is no secret how much the Cabaret Festival means to Reuben, and it is very clear the Cabaret Festival audiences love him back equally as much. Opening from amongst the audience with a song titled\u00a0The Party\u2019s Over,\u00a0Reuben worked their way through the audience with trademark chaotic charm and back-handed one-liners as they made their way to the stage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reuben collated a tasty selection of performers from across the festival to feature in this performance. Libby O\u2019Donovan raised the roof with a soulful ballad,\u00a0Turn Me On, Jego Loreto brought the cool, smooth vibes with Stevie Wonder\u2019s hit\u00a0I Wish, Brendan de la Haye\u2019s exquisite voice melted hearts with a beautiful version of\u00a0Misty, and Sapphire Snow gave us a cheeky burlesque routine accompanied by Reuben\u2019s sizzling vocals.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rounding out the guest appearances was the sensational Michelle Brasier who, even though she doesn\u2019t have a Cabaret Festival show this year, she has been a regular guest across the festival thanks to\u00a0Pretty Womanbeing\u00a0in town, for which Michelle is receiving rave reviews. She performed the incredibly moving song\u00a0Sally,\u00a0which she wrote, before turning the volume to eleven and showcasing her power-house vocals with a electrifying version of Celine Dion\u2019s hit\u00a0It\u2019s All Coming Back to Me Now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mid-way through the show Reuben reminded audiences of their sharp, politically-focused song writing skills with a performance of a song about Hitler\u2019s propaganda chief and right-hand man, Joseph Goebbels.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The evening concluded with Reuben performing the song\u00a0Sailor Boy\u00a0(which this reviewer has only just gotten out of their head after hearing Reuben sing it at the piano bar two or three festivals ago!) and closing with\u00a0Those Were the Days, promising that good things are still to come in the 2027 Festival program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Supporting Reuben and each act was an incredible band featuring Felicity Freeman on bass (and what a groove was laid down, especially during\u00a0I Wish),\u00a0John McDermott on drums and the brilliant Shanon D Whitelock on piano and as the musical director for the evening. Great acts need even greater musicians, and this tight trio did not disappoint.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The 2026 Adelaide Cabaret Festival may be over for now, but we all know Reuben Kaye and the incredible team at the Adelaide Festival Centre (AFC) will already be sourcing an array of tasty ingredients to cook up an even more delicious program in 2027. Thank you Reuben and the AFC for another sensational year of cabaret. I\u2019m sure all audiences who attended are satisfyingly full with what was on offer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Reviewed by\u00a0Ben Stefanoff<\/p>\n

Photo credit:\u00a0Claudio Raschella<\/p>\n

Venue:\u00a0Banquet Room, Adelaide Festival Centre
Season:\u00a0ended
Duration:\u00a090mins<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAdelaide Cabaret Festival<\/a>, Adelaide Festival Centre<\/a>, Banquet Room<\/a>, Brendan de la Haye<\/a>, Felicity Freeman<\/a>, Jego Loreto<\/a>, John McDermott<\/a>, Libby O\u2019Donovan<\/a>, Michelle Brasier<\/a>, Reuben Kaye<\/a>, Sapphire Snow<\/a>, Shanon D Whitelock<\/a><\/p>\n

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