Cabaret artist Reuben Kaye shares his dreams and desires with Cityscape ahead of the World Buskers Festival.

This will be your Christchurch debut, what can we expect? Possibly the first case of New Zealand deporting a cabaret artist on a morality violation. I don't know how useful expectations are – my father had certain expectations of me and now he owes my mother 20 bucks. (It was a very cheap alimony payment).

Are you looking forward to checking out anything around town? If you have any men who like making bad decisions then I think I'll be just fine. If masculinity is a prison then I just dropped the soap.

Fashion must be a big part of your show – will we see multiple outfit changes? I don't know what kind of show you think this is. Costume changes? Sounds kind of gay to me.

You’ve worked with some true queens in the burlesque world, what’s that been like? Look, being surrounded by beautiful scantily clad women was all my parents wished for me. If only they'd been specific. Honestly though, the powerful femmes of burlesque taught me so much about acceptance, the power of the human body, self-love and self-care. In fact, now all I do is care about myself.

What type of preparation goes in to your shows? A lot of drug tests.

What is your biggest inspiration? My last blood test.

Any idea what artistic direction you’ll take next? This assumes I have one now. At the moment my artistic direction is like cooking spaghetti – you turn everything on high, mash it together and then throw it against a wall to see if it's cooked. Also my mother is looking over my shoulder telling me I'm doing it wrong.

What’s the funniest moment you’ve had on stage? Every night I try and crack my band up and the moments when they crack after hearing the show so many times, that's a great moment. Also if they laugh I dock their pay.

Is there anyone you’d love to collab with? The Argentinian men's water polo team and an industrial-size vat of coconut oil. Either that or 1970s Bette Midler, before she got contracted to Disney.

What does 2020 have in store for you? Hopefully not getting chased out of Christchurch with pitchforks and flaming torches. But apart from that – Glory! (with or without holes).

Are there any other Buskers Festival acts you’re hoping to catch? There are other acts in the festival apart from me?

*Unfortunately Reuben Kaye has had to cancel his World Buskers Festival performances.

Bread & Circus - World Buskers Festival
23 January - 16 February, 2020
breadandcircus.co.nz