Music Theatre & Recording Artist
Melbourne, Australia
A song’s lyrics can sound a prophesy. None more so for Josh Piterman in 2006 auditioning for the role of Tony in West Side Story. Standing onstage facing a darkened auditorium knowing somewhere sat the decision makers. If successful, securing the lead will be Josh’s break. Something’s Coming, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, is loaded with promise. At this moment it couldn’t have rung truer. He paused, took a breath, and sang.
Could be?
Who knows?
There’s something due any day
I will know, right away
Soon as it shows
“I was never a music theatre kid,” mused Josh. “Singing was not something I did. It was not an ambition or my life’s desire.
“I wanted to be a professional football player hopefully for the mighty Western Bulldogs.
“In fact, I never really sang much before but thought I’d have a shot at my high school’s musical production.
“I hooked a major part. That changed my entire outlook.
“Something just lit up inside. I wanted to sing.”
It may come cannonballing down through the sky
Gleam in its eye
Bright as rose
Who knows?
Josh enrolled to study music theatre at The University of Ballarat Arts Academy. Looking at the other talent brought him up with a shock. These kids were steeped in theatre. Had been their whole lives; knowing all the shows, all the songs. Josh realised he was miles behind. If he was to enter the professional ranks after completing his Bachelor of Arts degree, some serious catching up must be done.
It’s only just out of reach
Down the block, on the beach
Under a tree
I got a feeling there’s a miracle due
Gonna come true, comin’ to me
It took grit and strength of character spending semester breaks taking additional singing and movement classes. Josh was determined by graduation to be job ready. It worked, stepping into the internationally acclaimed The Ten Tenors honing performance skills and endurance. Sounds glamorous travelling from country to country, singing to cheering audiences. The reality is touring is tough. Working in theatre requires the fitness of an elite athlete. It’s hard physical work. The groundwork for Josh’s music theatre career was being put in place.
Could it be, yes it could
Something’s comin’, something good
If I can wait
While touring internationally Josh got whisper of casting for a forthcoming Australian production of West Side Story. Now was the time to strike.
“I really wanted this,” Josh laughs knowing it’s the role every tenor in the country wanted. “If I was going to have a shot I had to prepare myself.”
“Auditioning is great; when you get the part.
“If you don’t, it’s tough.
“You wait, and wait, until you get word from your agent, or worse still, hear on the grapevine who got the part and it’s not you.
“I’ve become pretty thick skinned about it, part of being in this business.”
Somewhere in that darkened auditorium the decision makers watched Josh audition and knew they had their man. Offered his first major music theatre role, Josh toured Australia to unanimous acclaim. Australian theatre had an exciting and dynamic home-grown leading man.
Something’s comin’
I don’t know what it is
But it is gonna be great
For a young man making his theatre debut leading a national touring company is a heady experience. You are feted, made of fuss of, fawned over, invited everywhere, everyone wants to know you. But, show’s close. The final curtain falls. That’s the nature of the beast. You are now unemployed. The circuitous nature of working in theatre. Next, the question “now what?” bares its teeth.
For a first timer it is not an easy realisation finding you are back where you began, waiting for a role in theatre. Strength of character is tested. For a smart performer what follows is a period of introspection and self-assessment. Josh had already shown his tenacity to focus and never shied away from the resolve needed to re-calibrate direction.
With a click, with a shock
Phone’ll jingle, door will knock
Open the latch
Before long he was playing alongside Oscar winning actor Geoffrey Rush in The Drowsy Chaperone. Followed by intimate and challenging musical performances in Blood Brothers, The Light in the Piazza, The Last Five Years, and a British Tour of Hairspray playing TV heartthrob Corny Collins.
A personal project formed during this time, plans to record a CD. Josh began serious talks with musical director and collaborator John Foreman about songs for his solo album.
The album took a back seat in 2016 while Josh played Growltiger/Gus/Bustopher Jones in the national touring company of Cats for which he won the Greenroom Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical.
Recording gathered momentum. International contacts made during The Ten Tenors provided a viable option to record with The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Closely came news of a role in the Carole King musical Beautiful. Josh prepared to audition.
Something’s comin’
Don’t know when
But it’s soon
Catch the moon
One handed catch
Josh auditioned successfully as Carole King’s song writing partner and husband Gerry Goffin. A national tour, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, was about to commence rehearsals. Meanwhile, the Prague offer was closing as the orchestra’s performance schedule drew near.
Decisions were made, flights booked. The contemporary pop songs with a classical twist CD had a three-day recording schedule.
Around the corner
Or whistlin’ down the river
Come on, deliver to me
“Those musicians were absolute guns for hire,” Josh said. “I was full of admiration.”
“An amazing experience being in the studio laying down guide vocals as the full orchestra knocked over one song after another.
“They finished their work with two hours to spare.
“Good news for us. We had time to double track the strings making the orchestrations even more lush.”
Armed with Spanish and Italian translations of English language pop songs Josh went into a recording studio back in Melbourne. He had three days to lay twelve vocal tracks in three languages over the Prague orchestrations. Enter the rock band for one day to complete the recording process. Now all was ready for mixing. Next the self-titled album release.
Beautiful opens to positive revues playing to audiences who clap, cheer, cry, and ultimately sing along. Josh’s character, the male lead, is in essence the baddie of the piece. Gerry Goffin is a flawed man, an adulterer, manic depressive, drug abuser, gifted song writer, charming, progressive man of his time and ultimately self-destructive. Hard to cheer for such a man. Difficult for an actor to embody eight shows a week over a long run.
“It’s been a testing time,” reflected Josh. “I think of myself as really happy-go-lucky, love a joke and a laugh.”
“I’ve had dark times, so I had personal references to draw on but nothing the likes of this man.
“Playing this character was an acting challenge.
“A bright note has been the album release.”
Josh’s self-titled album debuted at No1 in the Classical Contemporary section of both the ITunes and ARIA charts. It continues to chart well with international interest in potential concert dates.
The curtain on Beautiful fell for the last time in Brisbane. The theatrical circle closes once more followed by the inevitable question, “now what?”
Will it be,
Yes, it will
Maybe just by holding still …
Josh is not one for holding still for long. Rest assured something’s coming.
From the album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc-ziCuOaHM
Locate CD purchase outlets here : http://www.joshpiterman.com.au/
