Celeb Stop

Sunday February 22, 2009

A hero's homecoming

They say the third time's a charm, and Stephen Rahman-Hughes continues to rule in his third stint as Hang Tuah. What else is keeping this warrior busy?

By SHARMILLA GANESAN sharmilla@thestar.com.my

He sings, he dances and he acts. He looks equally dreamy in jeans, baju Melayu or a well-cut suit. He is a great conversationalist. And as if all that wasn't enough, he's got a wicked sense of humour. To most folks, Stephen Rahman-Hughes would seem pretty darn close to perfection as one could get.

The morning before the recent premiere of the third season of Puteri Gunung Ledang: The Musical (PGLM), in which he plays the male lead Hang Tuah, Rahman-Hughes was the epitome of calmness. Even with his slightly rumpled hair and polo tee-and-cargo shorts combo, he couldn't help but turn heads as he walked towards me for our interview in a hotel lounge.

The British-born performer, however, is the first to point out his so-called shortcomings. For him, every new endeavour he takes on is about improving himself and doing better then before.

"When you're a performer, there are always lots of things to improve on," he explained."That's part of what keeps bringing me back to play Hang Tuah; the opportunity to improve on the role.

"It's a character that's very close to my heart and the better I get at it, the more I am able to enjoy myself."

Rahman-Hughes admitted, however, that his very first stint as Hang Tuah, with PGLM back in 2006, was "quite scary". Back then, Rahman-Hughes, whose mother hails from Pontian, Johor, could not speak Bahasa Malaysia at all and had to learn his lines phonetically.

"I was uncomfortable with speaking Bahasa Malaysia on stage, and there was a lot of bad press initially about casting me as this legendary Malay warrior," he recalled. "Even among the cast, there was a lot of doubt as to whether I could pull it off. So the sense of achievement when I managed to do it was great!"

Those who have witnessed Rahman-Hughes' powerful, thrilling vocals would be shocked to learn that he has never had any formal voice training. Instead, the 34-year-old graduated from dance school and performed with several companies as well as choreographed dance showcases.

His foray into musical theatre began when he auditioned for the part of a dancer in a production and was asked if he could sing and act. Needless to say, he impressed the director with his voice and acting, and went on to act in many musicals, including landing a lead role Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical Bombay Dreams.

Back to rule His return to the role of Hang Tuah for the current season of PGLM was not something he planned. In fact, after playing the role in for the musical's showing at Singapore's Esplanade in 2007, Rahman-Hughes was convinced it was his last time. And when he got the call this time around, he had actually been offered a job back home in London as the lead in another show.

"After having a few conversations with (co-star Datin Seri) Tiara (Jacquelina), who can be very persuasive, I decided that Malaysia would be a great place to spend the winter!" he said with a laugh.

Such spontaneity is part and parcel of Rahman-Hughes' personality; he takes each moment as it comes. "I try not to plan for the future too much. I'm the kind of guy who wakes up and thinks, 'What do I feel like doing today?'" he said.

Unlike Hang Tuah, who chose duty above all else, Rahman-Hughes said he'd rather not live his life based on what he is expected to do. "I think that can sometimes lock you into being somewhere you don't want to be.

"Although a part of me wishes I could be like that! Sometimes you can get a little unfocused and directionless."

Eclectic resume It is obvious from his career that Rahman-Hughes refuses to be pigeonholed. With a resume that ranges from musical theatre to soap operas to a fantasy movie (he played Zai Jie in Highlander: The Source), his experience is eclectic to say the least. His latest involvement is singing famous showtunes with musical quartet Teatro, which is made up of three West End performers and one from Broadway. Their debut album, featuring beloved classics like Music of the Night (Phantom of the Opera), Maria (West Side Story) and Over the Rainbow (The Wizard of Oz), was released in Britain last November. Fresh from playing a character on soap opera Emmerdale, Rahman-Hughes surprised many people with his move.

"I jumped ship from musical theatre to acting in TV and film, so people were shocked to see me go back to Teatro. But I wanted something different and this was perfect," he enthused.

Teatro's album went gold in two weeks and there are plans to come out with another one. "People love showtunes! There's a huge audience across the world for them and we want to keep trying to discover how to rejuvenate these songs," said Rahman-Hughes. He added that while he had been trying to get the album released in Malaysia, the current market may not make it viable.

He is also planning to return to Kuala Lumpur in May or June for a film project. While he couldn't yet give specific details, he mentioned that it is going to be a big budget production.

As if all these things weren't enough, Rahman-Hughes has plans to revitalise local musical theatre: he and Tiara are planning to set up a musical theatre academy together, one that he assures he will be very hands-on with.

Matters of the heart The one question that many a reader out there would be dying to have an answer to is, naturally, is there a lucky lady in his life? Laughing, Rahman-Hughes revealed that he is single.

Taking on a more serious tone, however, he added: "Travelling all around the world takes its toll on any relationship. I'm keeping my options open at the moment; hopefully the right person will walk into my life."

"I do crave a partner because I'm getting to that age now where I need somebody to support me and for me to give to as well. In this industry, you can get a little self-absorbed, so you have to be careful; it's nice to have somebody to divert your attention to."

And where does this multi-talented heartthrob see his future taking him? In typical fashion, Rahman-Hughes answered that he doesn't know.

"It changes! Just when you start getting good at something, another opportunity pops up.

"I suppose I'll just keep going with whatever's on the table. And if something I want is not on the table, I'll try and make that happen."

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