Hosted by the energetic Reuben Kaye, 'Opera Up Late' returns to the stage in its third year, building on its post-Mardi Gras cult classic status from Artistic Director, Shaun Rennie, and critical acclaim at the Joan Sutherland Theatre, and will soon see its interstate debut in Melbourne.

“[Shaun] leaned over the toilet stall and said, ‘Reuben, I think you’re the man for the job’, and once I swallowed, I said ‘Shaun, I’m all yours!’”

Kaye hopes to showcase the often overlooked, and misunderstood art form to Australian audiences with spirit, and spunk. “This is opera without restraint. If you thought opera was indulgent before, guess what we’ve got in store!”

'Opera Up Late' is to be a reframing of the classics of opera through a queerer lens. Opera Australia has taken a risk, and is brave enough to push this art form in a contemporary fashion, breaking down barriers that many classical art forms face, such as ballet and symphony orchestras – the belief that such forms are for the upper echelon of society, when in truer context, art is for everyone. “I mean, opera’s always been queer – it was written by gay men to put fierce bitches in wigs and sing their lungs out!”

Image © Carlita Sari

Kaye reflects on his love for opera, and its capacity to go from zero to 100 – “it’s very cabaret, it’s very me. Opera can have these outrageously camp moments, where the traviata can be swinging from the chandelier (literally, sometimes) and then something is quiet, and beautiful, and sensitive as the humming chorus – it just has such extremity, and scope.”

“It connects us to our own humanity – it changes us on a very fundamental level, which is the role of art. Especially now, needed more than ever, but it can go from that to a wild comic farce. It is audacious, outrageous in its scope.”

Reuben Kaye is best known for self-directed performances such as 'The Kaye Hole', and for his passionate and direct commentary about Australia's (and the world's) socio-political landscapes – which have ruffled the feathers of more conservative thinkers.

“I have not gone light on critiquing the arts scene in Australia – I’m really giving them a good ribbing, and they have taken it with such good humour. No holds barred, all shots fired – I think they know exactly what they got when they hired me!”

“Opera has always been an art form that hasn’t shied away from political commentary – there’s no such thing as a safe art form, because art is inherently political, right?”

“I think this show is one of the most joyful experiences I have on stage; that is all queer art is, taking something known and putting our spin on it, or revealing to audiences that it has always been joyous, and queer, and beautiful.”

Image © Rhiannon Hopley

Reuben Kaye’s artistic profile continues to expand, grow, and shape him and his audiences. There is no denying the charismatic aura Kaye holds in his arsenal, and the presence he commands on/off stage, and online. However, being so public facing can be a lot to bear on the shoulders of an artist.

“I think the arts and my career have been a refuge if anything, and a saviour. I was always told growing up that there was no place for me, or that I didn’t fit in – and the only place I did fit in was on stage. The only place I fit in was the world I made for myself, and created, until I became (because of that world) in demand – and that’s when the world came calling.”

“I think that’s a really strong lesson for kids who feel isolated from the rest of the world – it doesn’t mean they’re less than, it means that the world hasn’t caught up to them yet.”

“The arts is a real rough road, but I really recommend everyone does it.” Kaye considers what advice he would give anyone interested in pursuing the arts. “It’s going to be difficult, and the first things you make will be sh.t. You have to commit to yourself that you will make bad art, and realise that it’s part of the journey.”

“Deep down in our souls we all want to make art, or create. I truly believe that with every fibre of my being. But the only thing that stops us is the fear of making a mistake, or what we’ve been told by society that it’s not a real thing – and both of those ideas are – say it with me – bullsh.t!”

Opera Australia's 'Opera Up Late' is on at Regent Theatre (Melbourne) 2 November.

This story originally appeared on our sister site, scenestr.