Cabaret Festival Review: Jordan Gray

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Glorious chaos that brings charmingly absurd humour out from incredibly dark source material

Presented by: Jordan Gray and Adelaide Festival Centre
Reviewed: 18 June 2026

BAFTA winner Jordan Gray hits the stage at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival with their comedy show Is That a Cock In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Here to Kill Me?

Gray first appeared widely on television in The Voice UK where they made it to the semi-finals and also made history as the first trans contestant on that franchise. Their name became instantly known following their appearance on the revived edition of the UK’s Friday Night Live. 

The viral comedy set saw Gray strip naked and play the keyboard with their genitals as part of a longer form song punchline. The result earned the show and Gray their BAFTA but also scored them an inbox full of death threats.

As Is That a Cock In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Here to Kill Me? implies, the show draws from those threats and creates a hilarious hour of comedy and song.

The themes, and even the jokes themselves, on paper, sit firmly in dark humour territory. However, it’s in Gray’s charismatic and cheerful delivery that generates something entirely different. The immediate contrasts in tone shove the lines out of darkness and into absurdity through a charm that maintains full possession over the comedy.

Gray is in the on jokes, no matter the level of taboo, and even openly highlights the bizarreness and joy of being paid to perform comedy around the world while countries, such as their home country, are moving in a direction to wipe transpeople from public life.

The show is unhinged and chaotic at times. Gray delivers with such energy and clear delight from their love of performing that no matter how the show, and at one point Gray herself, tumbled, it was continually captivating.

It was predominantly a comedy show that featured three original songs and ended on a heartfelt rendition of Cabaret. There are several quite well-crafted long-form jokes that take the time to underscore contemporary societal darkness. They use the joy and absurdity as key to the humour without losing any of the commentary underpinning the satire.

Is That a Cock In Your Pocket, Or Are You Just Here to Kill Me? has just two shows at the Cabaret Festival and is highly recommended for a sharp, quick, and intriguing performance.

Reviewed by: Alex Dunkin

Photo credit: Claudio Raschella