Reuben Solo
| Reuben Solo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Australia |
| Medium | |
| Years active | 2020–present |
| Website | reubensolo |
Reuben Solo is an Australian stand-up and sketch comedian. He rose to prominence via social media starting in 2020, becoming known for his use of self-referential and surreal humour. He lives in Melbourne.
Early life and education[edit]
As a child, Solo wanted to become a tennis player, but that dream was foiled by health issues with his thyroid.[1] He studied film and television in university.[1]
Comedy career[edit]
Solo worked as an editor and producer on the Luke and Lewis comedy podcast until 2021.[1] He rose to prominence via social media videos. As of May 2024[update], he has 572,000 subscribers on TikTok and his videos have garnered 28 million likes.[2] In 2021, he hosted a podcast called Stick to the Script.[3]
His humour incorporates self-referential and surreal elements, such as a routine in which he draws a graph plotting the audience's reaction to the routine as it unfolds.[4][5]
Tours[edit]
- 2022: Good Boy
- 2023: Palindrome
- 2024: Please Clap
Filmography[edit]
- Feedback Loop (2023), an adaptation of Palindrome[6]
Reception[edit]
Jo Laidlaw of The List described Solo's comedy as "teenage bedroom", "absurd(ist)", surreal, discombobulating, Jedi mind-controlling, and brilliant, writing, "This show makes no sense, and it doesn't need to. It's a wild ride through Solo's brain."[7]
Jay Richardson of The Scotsman, reviewing Palindrome, described his act as "craftily intricate and exceptionally showy, nakedly, hungrily so. Yet the Australian commits to his nerdily sketchy, cinematically-framed hour with such vein-bulging energy, sprightly imagination and crowd-pumping zeal that you're swept along in its looping, mind-bending journey." He added that the show is also "an effective satire on pretentious comedians' egotistical delusions and their self-inflicted punishment".[4]
Dan McInnes, reviewing for the Australian Arts Review, wrote that "Solo is the kind of guy who seems to persist with paradox past the point that most of us give up", adding that, "along with his bumbling enjoyment of his own material, awkward moments are also part of his charm."[8] Fynn Ryan wrote for Isolated Nation that "Solo's brand of comedy is a chaotic and inclusive event which is at its best when the audience are in on the joke." However, he noted that some audience members "may be put-off by Solo's hyperactive and post-modern" style.[9] Kym Clayton, of The Barefoot Review, described Solo in Palindrome as eccentric, unconventional, and intelligent. She praised his ability to "turn sharp observation and oh-so-funny acidic comment on the seemingly ordinary things we do and the trite things we say in our daily lives".[10]
Solo won the best comedy weekly award at the 2023 Adelaide Fringe[11] and the 2024 Fringe World in Perth.[12]
Personal life[edit]
Solo lives in Melbourne, Australia.[9]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "Reuben Solo: Good Boy". Ben Sorensen. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "Reuben Solo". TikTok. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Solo, Reuben. "Stick to the Script". Spotify. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b Richardson, Jay (8 August 2023). "Edinburgh Fringe comedy reviews: Reuben Solo". The Scotsman. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Solo, Reuben. "Graph (special edition)". TikTok. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
- ^ Solo, Reuben (17 December 2023). Feedback Loop. YouTube. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Laidlaw, Jo (23 February 2024). "Reuben Solo – Please Clap comedy review: Comedy of the almost indescribable". The List. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ McInnes, Dan (16 March 2023). "Reuben Solo: Palindrome". Australian Arts Review. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ a b Ryan, Fynn (18 February 2024). "Fringe Review: 'Reuben Solo: Please Clap' Earns Its Applause". Isolated Nation. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ Clayton, Kym (19 March 2023). "Reuben Solo - Palindrome". The Barefoot Review. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "2023 Fringe Winners". Adelaide Fringe. Retrieved 6 May 2024.
- ^ "2024 Weekly Award Winners". Fringe World. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
