Sing Along with the Outrageous Matt Yee?

"We don't' care if you suck," says the understanding man on the other end of the phone. "We just care that you sing loud."

No, Matt Yee isn't doling out dating advice... he's talking about the primary directive that's made his "Outrageous Adult Sing Along Show" a favorite of audiences both drunk and sober, on land and at sea.

On July 22, Yee makes a triumphant return to West 42nd Street's Laurie Beechman Theater-sight of two 2012 shows that sold out largely on the strength of Facebook postings email blasts.

It's about time NYC jumped on the piano man's infectious bandwagon. For over a decade, the Honolulu-born Yee has been a top draw on the cruise ship circuit.

"Elton John meets Margaret Cho," as he's been described in the press, is a fitting description for a guy who logged time as a singer/songwriter, a producer and a "Guerrilla queer piano bar" maven before settling into his current niche as the extroverted host of a sing-along show that plays equally well in corporate, straight and queer venues.

Corporate to cabaret

That broad appeal comes from the fact that Yee has lived two out of those three above descriptions. After attending Dartmouth College on a vocal scholarship, he went to law school-then toiled for much of the 1980s and 1990s in the land of corporate acquisitions and mergers.

After leaving law, he did some time as a real estate agent. But the siren call of show business soon lured him back to his vocal scholarship roots. Soon, he was writing and producing... then had a string of radio hits in Hawaii-which led to live performance.

"I used to do a cabaret show, with a storyline," recalls Yee of his early career stage persona. "One of them was called 'Divas 2000.' I would take strong female songs and have them sung by men. In the middle of the show, I'd do a sing-along to bump up the energy."

The result? Soon Yee was making a living as the ringmaster of an anything-goes adults-only sing-along...which is fine, considering his limited options as a Pride entertainer.

"The Millennium March on Washington was my first really big Gay Pride gig," he says, noting that he emerged from the experience convinced he'd found a perpetual niche. "I thought I could make a living doing Pride festivals," he recalls, "until I realized they were only in June."

Queer cult appeal

But Yee soon came to know that presiding over a group of grown men and women who sing at the top of their lungs (often with the help of liquid encouragement) was a gig with no expiration date.

After scoring his first cruise ship gig out of the blue (they saw one of his cabaret shows mentioned in a theater column listing), Yee got more work on the high seas by word of mouth (the same way his recent NYC show sold out).

These days, the veteran corporate entertainer is also the highest revenue-producing artist in his venue on Royal Caribbean Atlantis Cruises.

"There's something about being in front of an audience that's the same demographic every night of the week," Yee says of the Atlantis gigs. "You get to hone stuff, and it's all about the audience. You see what works... and suddenly you have a fan base -- a gay fan base."

Although he's got queer cult appeal as the wig-wearing, boa-flaunting leader of the cruise ship crooner circuit, Yee's most devoted fans (and even casual visitors to his website) know that he's also a prolific singer/songwriter. The winner of multiple ASCAP awards, Yee's list of accomplishments includes The Hawaii Music Award, an OMA Director's Award (out of New York City) and a nomination for a JP Folks Award (for his original tune, "Every Facet of My Heart").

Groupthink experience

But even those lofty accomplishments pale in comparison to his recent duet with "Glee" and "Wicked" star Idina Menzel-who, according to Yee, is a good sport with a filthy mouth!

Asked to analyze the secret of his sing along success, Yee credits our universal hunger for groupthink experiences-and singing, unashamed, at the top of our lungs. "It becomes a class," he says of his show. "I'm teaching you ancient Hawaiian sing alongs, like the theme from 'Gilligan's Island'."

Besides that and other such rich nuggets of cultural heritage, there are also old standards like "Piano Man" and "American Pie." And, of course, there's that element of liquid confidence.

"This is like church, with booze," Yee says, also noting that in his room, the tone deaf will face no judgment or damnation.

"I think intention is the great equalizer," Yee says of the good attitude he cultivates. "If you come in and intend to party and laugh and not be offended, then you're going to have a great time. But if not, then maybe you should walk up the street and go see 'Spiderman'."

Matt Yee performs his "Outrageous Adult Sing Along Show" on Sunday, July 22, 10pm at The Laurie Beechman Theater (located downstairs in the West Bank Cafe, at 407 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues). Tickets are $25 in advance, $35 at the door ($15 food/drink minimum per person plus tax/service, adults only). Order tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/250444.

For more info, visit mattyee.com.