Type – Opera, Comedy, Queer
OPERA UP LATE: Fabulous, filthy and gloriously gay – opera’s tradition of breaking the rules is celebrated through an inherently queer lens
Originally created for Sydney World Pride in 2023, Opera Up Late is a wild ride through the world of opera with a decidedly queer lens. Part cabaret, part love letter to opera, Opera up Late highlights some of the inherently queerer elements of the artform and how opera has always been about breaking the rules.
Hosted by Australian singer, writer, drag artist and comedian Reuben Kaye, the event is a hilarious piss-take of the operatic genre and particularly the Australian opera scene. Kaye’s fearless and well-informed hosting banter takes no prisoners, even the Opera Australia administration doesn’t come out unscathed. In an ABC National interview with Ce Benedict he says “in many ways, I build Opera Up Late as Opera-meets-SNL in both its’ speed and improvisatory nature”. The repertoire unfolds with a number of well-known opera bangers, helping newer audience members to realise how much opera they recognise from pop culture and how inherently timeless and current (and gay) opera really is.
The show uses a set design of one of the operas currently being performed in the Joan Sutherland Theatre, and this year is presented against Mark Thompson’s Tim Burton-esque Hansel and Gretel set design. The setting provides a nightmarish cartoon backdrop on a steep raked stage, which sees an oversized cauldron and cage set atop splintered wooden floorboards with gaps and cracks big enough to lose a foot in. It’s the same set that was used in the 1992 production (which Kaye refers to as Heritage listed) – a perfect setting for this eccentric and hysterical, exaggerated and camp cabaret-style evening of some of the opera canon’s greatest hits. Thankfully (for the piano’s safety) musical director Paul Fitzsimon leads from the grand piano on a flat, crack-free floor insert on stage.
The evening opens with bass and techno booming, bright coloured, rave and disco lights flood the stage as hockey jersey and jockstrap cladded dancers Nicholas Jachno and Tiggy Treloar set the scene in a Heated Rivalry themed number. Entering from the oven, mezzo soprano Ruth Strutt brings the physical comedy to each number, including a hilarious rendition of Otto Titsling (Bette Midler’s song about the Bavarian inventor of the ‘over shoulder boulder holder’).
Tenor Daniel Macey’s genre-crossing performance is gorgeous and bountiful, glammed up in a glittering black ball gown. His mellow, true tone brings new colours to the rich harmonies of the Pearl Fishers duet with baritone Anthony Mackey in a moving tribute to the recently deceased Catherine O’Hara. Besides the romantic, sweeping score and intimately intertwining harmonies, the duet has some of the un-subtlest subtext in opera as the two men vow that no woman will ever come between them.
Kaye brings Mackey out to demonstrate some of the greatest operatic moments in the bass repertoire, a running joke that returns throughout the evening. While everyone else performs full arias, Mackey’s short-lived time on stage soon reveals that said famous bass moments are exactly that – short moments, sometimes only a few notes long. Poor basses. He returns to the stage, finally to get his big number in the Coat Farewell aria from La Boheme, delivering a generous and heartfelt performance that ends with a funnily homoerotic twist. Dancers Jachno and Treloar return to delight the audience in a sensual ballet performance to the sounds of Cavaleria Rusticana’s exquisite Intermezzo that provides moments of reflection in the otherwise cracking-paced evening.
Renowned soprano Emma Matthews’ first aria is the Doll Song from Tales of Hoffman – during which she periodically runs out of steam and needs to be manually wound up so she can continue. The flittering coloratura and comedic performance with hilariously contemporary and colloquial translations on the surtitles has the audience in awe, followed by being in stitches as Kaye comes out with an industrial sized bottle of lube before winding her back up so she can finish the aria. Strutt and Matthews perform the breath-taking Barcarolle from Tales of Hoffman – a duet where the mezzo soprano is disguised as a man and is seducing the soprano. Matthews finishes with an ultimate diva aria, giving a powerful and epic performance of Tosca‘s Visi D’arte.
While the cast catch their breath, Kaye shows off his own vocal chops, performing a spectacular and indulgent, slowed down, ballad-style arrangement of Men At Work’s Down Under. Accompanied by Shanon D. Whitelock, Kaye’s commentary reflects on the Australian values and how this song would be a better fit for our national anthem.
What originated in 2023 when World Pride was held in Sydney, Opera Up Late returned this year for its fourth iteration as a part of Mardi Gras 2026. “Opera is entirely camp, and I think it should have always been a part of the Mardi Gras program” It’s always a pleasure to see contemporary gay culture celebrated so fervently and joyously in our opera scene, however it does seem an interesting choice to showcase such a well-known and established performer as Matthews. Directed by Shaun Rennie, the concept and execution is sublime. It’s SO brave of our national opera company to let someone as iconic, informed and outspoken as Reuben Kaye poke fun at their work.
Is OPERA UP LATE Worth Seeing in SYDNEY?
It’s clear the cast love the opportunity to let their hair down and poke fun at their beloved artform while reminding audiences how fun and silly, over the top, timeless, fluid and relevant opera is. The night exudes seduction and glamour, filth, raunchy, horny, and hilarious moments that connect the dots between opera and queer culture and make it more accessible to current day and non-opera audiences. “So, for me, being able to take the sanctity of opera and place it in the gutter is so exciting and actually true to opera’s original roots, because it was a populist artform, they were the rockstars of their day”.
It’s a smorgasbord of operatic hits, with all the boring bits cut out and only the hilarious, unserious, breath takingly impressive and legendary moments kept in. It’s a one-night-only show and sold out this year, so keep an eye out for next years performance and get in early.
Tickets and Practical Info for OPERA UP LATE in SYDNEY 🎟️
Opera Up Late was performed on 21 February 2026
