BWW Interviews: Bryan Batt Talks Broadway, MAD MEN, and His Cabaret Act BATT ON A HOT TIN ROOF

New Orleans native and star of TV's Mad Men, Bryan Batt will bring his hilarious show Batt On A Hot Tin Roof to Austin's Zach Theatre for one night only on Tuesday, September 10th. This handsome Broadway star of La Cage Aux Folles, Beauty and the Beast, Sunset Boulevard, Cats, and Starlight Express, to name just a few, will light up your night with his personable wit and leading man song stylings. Mr. Batt recently chatted with us about his work on Broadway, Mad Men, and his cabaret act.

Batt on a Hot Tin Roof plays Zach's Topfer Theatre at 202 South Lamar Blvd, 78704 on September 10th, 2013. Performances are 7pm and 9:30pm. Tickets are $40-$105. For tickets and information about Batt on a Hot Tin Roof, please visit http://www.zachtheatre.org/show/bryan-batt.

BWW: I looked over your biography, and you have some very impressive theater credits. When did you catch the theater bug, and what got you into the business?

BB: You know, I think I was always intrigued by theater since I was a small child. My family's business was actually an amusement park in New Orleans. My grandfather had started that, and my grandmother was a dance maven in New Orleans. It was just the theatricality and the Mardi Gras and the pageantry that I fell in love with at an early age. I was also a very shy kid and theater was a great way to express myself.

BWW: So you're a third generation theater fanatic, huh?

BB: At least [Laughs]. Somewhere along the line, genetically it had to come out.

BWW: I know you've done quite a few Broadway shows. Out of all of those, if you had to pick a favorite, what would it be and why?

BB: Oh, God! Each is special in its own way. I can't tell you the thrill and joy of when I was cast in my first Broadway show. Granted, it was Starlight Express and it was exhausting, but it was my first time on Broadway, and there was nothing like it. I really enjoyed going on for Gary Beach in La Cage Aux Folles. I loved The Scarlet Pimpernel. I think out of all of my stage performances, though, my favorite would have been Jeffrey which was an Off-Broadway play that I got to create a role and then do the film. It was just so groundbreaking. Here in New York and all over the country people were dying of AIDS and it was just so horrible and frightening and Paul Rudnick just turned it and made a comedy out of the situation with the thought being that if we ever lose our sense of humor, then any kind of adversity or disease wins. It was love and laughter in the face of AIDS and adversity, and I thought that was so smart and clever. I re-read it recently and it still holds up. I'd love to do it again.

BWW: I'm sure as an actor, you must have a few roles that you haven't played that you really want to do.

BB: I was offered The Music Man this summer and I couldn't do it, and that's one I've always wanted to do. It's such a great musical theater classic, and Harold Hill is such a great musical theater role. But when people ask, "What role are you dying to play?" I always say, "The one being written for me right now." But there's so many great roles out there like Harold Hill and Guido Contini. I'm a little old for Guido Contini, but I've always loved Nine.

BWW: You're not too old for Guido. Just stop. [Laughs]. Now you mentioned La Cage and Scarlet Pimpernel and Starlight Express. Are there any fun memories from any of your Broadway shows that really stick out for you?

BB: God, there are so many. One of my favorites is actually from Forbidden Broadway. When I was doing Forbidden Broadway, there was one performance where Carol Burnett came to see the show. It was a small, intimate little theater, and I did something and heard Carol Burnett just burst out laughing and I thought, "Oh my God! I just made Carol Burnett laugh!" And it was so hard to not just fall to my knees and thank God. I just couldn't believe it happened. It was one of those moments that made me so happy and I was like, "Okay. Whatever I did, it was the best choice."

BWW: That's such a cool story.

BB: Yeah, that one stands out, but there were so many fond moments. I really treasure my time on Broadway. I remember when I was in Cats, it was about nine years into the run and I had just joined the Broadway company, and to be honest, the cast was a little jaded and tired. It had been nine years, some people had been there the whole time, and I just remember one member of the company just complaining and complaining and I just thought, "You know what? If you're that unhappy, leave. There will be a line around the door. There will be a line around the block to replace you. This is Broadway. This doesn't happen all the time. We are lucky to get to be working on Broadway." I never really took it for granted. There's something magical about every time you walk through that stage door. That's my favorite part. It's the ritual of signing in, saying hi to everyone, warming up, and then doing the show. Of course the show is wonderful, but it's that comradely, the family backstage. There's nothing like it.

BWW: Since you mentioned Forbidden Broadway, were there any Broadway stars or shows that were difficult or uncomfortable to make fun of?

BB: Oh yeah! When I first did Forbidden Broadway, I actually made fun of shows that I was in. I just left Sunset Boulevard. Alan Campbell was still in it, and I made fun of him. Mainly it was about his microphone, but it was awkward. And when Rent came along, we didn't really make fun of the cast, but we made fun of the show. I was never really nervous about that, because it was always tongue in cheek. It was never ugly. It's parody and it can be scathing, but it's done with love. But there was always a little pang about skewering and making fun of what I really love.

BWW: Are there any performers that you look up to who inspire you?

BB: Brian Stokes Mitchell. He's just a class act. Jason Danieley. Danny Burstein, who's just a wonderful human being and an incredible talent. Mainly it's the people are very talented and really good people. That's what I like.

BWW: I have to ask about Mad Men since it's such a hit show.

BB: It's crazy, I had no idea it would be a hit. In fact I was doing a play with Nancy Opel Off-Broadway when I got cast in the pilot and I had to miss the first preview. The director had to go onstage for me with the book in hand. The next day when I came back, Nancy said, "This better be good. This really better be good." And it turned out it was.

BWW: I'm sure there are a lot of changes between acting on TV or film versus performing on stage. What would you say would be the biggest differences or challenges?

BB: You approach it all the same. It's all the same technique. It's just that with stage work, you have the wonderful thing called rehearsal. You have the luxury of finding the character and honing it through rehearsal and your job once you open is to maintain the performance, keep it fresh, and do the same thing every night eight shows as week. With Mad Men, there was very little rehearsal if any sometimes. Mainly it was hit your mark, this is where the camera will pick you up, and get the shot. They really relied on the actors to do all the prep work before they get to shooting. Really you have to be prepared to try everything right on the spot because you can't go back and reshoot things. It's too expensive. That's the main difference but also you have to realize that the tiniest lift of an eyebrow or the tiniest gesture is magnified on the camera where on the stage it would barely be seen. It's like a dial on an amplifier. For stage you turn it up a few notches and for TV you turn it down. And also I found that I try to match the level of the person I'm working with. Like my first scene in Mad Men was with John Hamm and we started the scene and I went, "Okay. This is the level we're playing." And you try to match the level of intensity and focus. When you have someone like that who's so wonderfully talented and so perfect in the role, it kind of makes it easy. You're not worrying about yourself. You're doing the scene with someone. It's not "I talk. I talk. I wait. I wait." It's all about listening and reacting and everything comes together.

BWW: I know some fans will kill me if I don't ask you if you can tell us anything about the 7th and final season of Mad Men.

BB: If I knew, I couldn't even tell you.

BWW: [Laughs] I figured I'd ask.

BB: Oh, it's fine, and it's very heartwarming to know that people care about this character so much. It's men, it's women, they're gay, they're straight, they're black, they're white, they're everything. So many people identify with him. I think it's because he's a nice person but I also think it's because everyone, at some point in their life, felt like they didn't fit in and felt like they had to alter themselves in some way to fit in. People resonate with that and they see him struggling and empathize.

BWW: He's human.

BB: Yeah, and that comes down to the writing. Matt Weiner and the writers on this show are so great. They write such great scenes and such great characters and situations that it makes it easy for the actors.

BWW: Let's talk a bit about your cabaret show. What can audiences expect from Batt on a Hot Tin Roof?

BB: So many people have come up after the show saying they didn't expect it to be so funny. People have laughed hysterically and said it's a roller coaster ride of emotions. It's a little personal here and there. I share stories of growing up, stories of the theater, and stories of Mad Men. One of the best compliments I've gotten on the show came from a fellow actor, and he said, "Sometimes you go to cabaret shows and you don't really learn anything about the performer but you opened up, and now I feel like I really know you." I took that as a big compliment. The show is really a little bit of everything. Audiences have been so responsive, and I can't wait to play the Zach. I can't wait to share the show with Austin. Austin is such a great city.

BWW: Well thank you so much for your time, Bryan. It was such a pleasure to chat with you, and I can't wait to see Batt on a Hot Tin Roof.

BB: Thank you, and I'll see you there!

Batt on a Hot Tin Roof plays Zach's Topfer Theatre at 202 South Lamar Blvd, 78704 on September 10th, 2013. Performances are 7pm and 9:30pm. Tickets are $40-$105. For tickets and information about Batt on a Hot Tin Roof, please visit http://www.zachtheatre.org/show/bryan-batt.

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