Profile:
Hayden Tee

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

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 doesn't want to name.

“I never say what I'm auditioning for in case I don't get the role,” confesses Hayden. “It 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.

“It's rarely a process you can feel 100% confident about because you never can tell what the panel auditioning you is thinking or feeling when you're in front of them. I've walked out of some auditions thinking how badly I'd stuffed it up but then ended up landing the role so you never can tell.”

And you never can tell who's in the audience either. A couple of years ago Hayden was performing in front of “five people at the Riverside Theatre in Parramatta ”, 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 – the famous British theatrical producer responsible for shows like Cats and Les Misérables .

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

“If you think auditioning for something on home soil is nerve wracking, try flying halfway around the world to audition for what's one of the most enduring and popular stage shows ever,” says Hayden.

But auditioning isn't something Hayden had to worry about for the shows he's now staging in Sydney : The Muftee Show ; and Matinee Idol .

The former is Hayden's “wild and wacky” 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 Rose's 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 .

Words: Krathyn White

Matinee Idol – Bar Me Brougham St Kings Cross Wed 28th Feb – Thurs 1st March Muftee Show – State Theatre 18th Feb – 25th Feb