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Shine like stars

Written by Leigh Harris

Staying true to his cabaret roots, Hayden Tee is appearing in two Sydney shows this February that personify his talent as a true performer.

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But after a career in cabaret, stage shows and musicals big and small stretching back more than a decade, Hayden Tee still gets nervous about auditions, conducting this interview in a break between sessions at a second call audition for a show he doesnít want to name.

ìI never say what Iím auditioning for in case I donít get the role,î confesses Hayden. ìIt might sound silly, but auditioning is actually a fairly grueling and exhausting process, especially when you get call backs for second and sometimes third rounds.

ìItís rarely a process you can feel 100% confident about because you never can tell what the panel auditioning you is thinking or feeling when youíre in front of them. Iíve walked out of some auditions thinking how badly Iíd stuffed it up but then ended up landing the role so you never can tell.î

And you never can tell whoís in the audience either. A couple of years ago Hayden was performing in front of ìfive people at the Riverside Theatre in Parramattaî, wondering what the hell he was doing there.

One of the five people who happened to be in the audience that night was a colleague of Cameron Mackintosh ñ the famous British theatrical producer responsible for shows like Cats and Les MisÈrables.

Within a week Hayden says he was contacted by Mackintoshís company in the UK and invited to audition for the part of Marius in the London West End production of musical Les MisÈrables.

ìIf you think auditioning for something on home soil is nerve wracking, try flying halfway around the world to audition for whatís one of the most enduring and popular stage shows ever,î says Hayden.

But auditioning isnít something Hayden had to worry about for the shows heís staging in Sydney this February: The Muftee Show; and Matinee Idol.

The former is Haydenís ìwild and wackyî cult cabaret show, described by the man himself as part talk show, part musical, part cabaret. Originally enjoying an unprecedented seven month stint in Sydney back in 2003, before getting an airing at Mama Roseís in New York City the following year, Hayden will be appearing in The Muftee Show at the Statement Cabaret Lounge underneath the State Theatre in Sydney

Matinee Idols marks Haydenís return to cabaret proper, and recounts the music and lives of great matinee idol characters of stage and screen. Conceived and written by Hayden, he says impetus for the show came from the old movies and musicals he used to watch with his Grandma growing up.

ìI find the very idea of a matinee idol immensely interesting for so many reasons,î explains Hayden.

ìEver since Rudolph Valentino, the notion of a matinee idol has evolved to encompass something quite different from what it did originally ñ about the closest thing we have to a matinee idol in this day and age is Brad Pitt.

ìMatinee Idols is my attempt at tracing and remembering exactly what being a matinee idol meant before this evolution. Itís been a lot of fun to work on from both a writing and a performing perspective and Iím looking forward to the shows at Bar Me a great deal,î says Hayden.

Hayden Tee performs in The Muftee Show at the Statement Cabaret Lounge on Sunday 18 and 25 February: visit statetheatre.com.au or call Ticketmaster on 136 100 for booking and ticket information. Matinee Idols is on at Bar Me on Wednesday 28 February and Thursday 1 March: visit barme.com.au or call (02) 9368 0894 for booking or ticket information.

To keep tabs on Hayden Tee visit: haydentee.com

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