Melbourne: Mostly Cloudy 18ºC | 8ºC

Bryan Batt - Batt on a Hot Tin Roof

Sat 25 Jun 2011 ,

Theatre

You’ve loved him as Mad Men’s classiest closet case. Now actor and singer Bryan Batt heads to Melbourne with Batt on a Hot Tin Roof

First published on 8 Jun 2011. Updated on 26 Jun 2011.

This event has finished

Sal’s a great character whose queer nuances can be about as subtle as a sledgehammer in some episodes and not so in others. Was it difficult deciding just how gay to play Sal?
That’s was definitely the most difficult aspect of portraying this great character, however I felt completely safe knowing that [series creator] Matt Weiner would not allow a single take through unless it was up to his impeccable standard. To be allowed to play a character with that kind safety net is rare and a true blessing.

It took a few seasons before we saw Sal get any man-on-man action. Do you think it was a case of weaning audiences into it?
They had a storyline developed for his encounter way back in 2006 when we shot the pilot. By season three people wanted Sal to come out or at least act on his true feelings so I think [the writers] structured the lead-up perfectly.

Is the closeted life of an ad man in the 60s all that different from that of a closeted actor in Hollywood today?
That’s a tricky question and hard to answer as I’ve never really been a closeted actor. I find that I have to pretend when playing roles, so I really couldn’t imagine doing that in my private life. Plus, my mother didn’t raise me to be a liar.

I know this is the $50 million question, but are you any closer to knowing if Sal will make some sort of triumphant return to Mad Men?
I wish I did. All I’ve been told is that Sal is not dead. It would be a thrill as I miss my Mad Men friends.

You’re bringing your cabaret show Batt on a Hot Tin Roof to Melbourne. What inspired this show?
It was born out of Hurricane Katrina. I live in my hometown of New Orleans part time and when people were beginning to return home after the flooding, I was approached to put together a one-man cabaret so I did and it was a hit. I loved the intimacy of the medium and continued honing the show until it morphed into what you will see now. The evening is a complete mix of old and new songs, some unknown and some familiar, all woven together with fun and sometimes moving stories.