By Natasha Barbieri
Jokingly referred to as the ‘bad boy of Australian musical theatre’ while promoting the musical ‘Twisted’ Josh Piterman is, in fact, a charming tenor whose career has balanced the worlds of classical crossover and Broadway. His lyrical voice combines the best of both worlds.
In his younger years, Josh’s greatest passion was for sports but music found a way of taking over his life. “Like most guys, I started in High School. My first musical was ‘Fame’ when I was 16. I wasn’t very good,” he says modestly but admits, “I liked being front and center so I was certainly on the right track.”
Josh refined his skills while studying at The University of Ballarat Arts Academy. “My family wasn’t very musical but they were certainly supportive of all my musical and theatrical endeavors. Getting a break though definitely came down to hard work.”
He made his professional debut in ‘The Drowsy Chaperone.’ “I got the pleasure of performing alongside some of the most well-known and revered actors in the Australian Industry, including Geoffrey Rush. It was an incredible show and an amazing learning experience.”
Josh has since performed several roles including Edward in Blood Brothers, Corny Collins in Hairspray, Ramon Gutierrez in An Officer and a Gentlemen among others.
“Currently I’m playing Gerry Goffin, (Carole Kings first husband and writing partner) in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which is touring across Australia. We recently brought up our 300th show. It has definitely been the most challenging and rewarding role to play. Gerry was such a troubled genius. A complex man with his own mental demons, but a beautiful romantic man at the same time. Transforming into him 8 times a week is something very special.”
His love for sport once again crossed paths and Josh was given the opportunity to sing the Australian national anthem for the NRL State of Origin game at the Brisbane Suncorp stadium. The event was broadcast live in 90 countries! The passion for sport and fitness also led Josh to become certified as a personal trainer and open his business PITFIT. He aims to assist musical theater performers to train their bodies in a way that is uniquely specialized for their profession.
What helps to set Josh apart as a singer is his commitment to the character. “I think it’s always an emotional connection,” he tells us that draws him to a song. “Whether that be melodically, lyrically or just feel. I love to listen to someone really feel. That doesn’t mean they have to be painful or melancholy, but I always want to hear someone delivering their truth.”
He advises young singers to focus first and foremost on the character and emotion when auditioning. “I guess Brian Cranston says it best when he talks about the trap most young actors fall into when auditioning. We generally go into an audition looking to get a job/role when really, we should be going in to convey the most compelling version of whatever character we’ve been asked to audition for. It’s that simple. There’s power in that. There’s focus in that. There’s less pressure in that and more often than not the quality of the work is far better when we approach things from that angle.”
Josh was part of the group ‘The Ten Tenors’ in 2008 and tells us that “Classical crossover has always been at the core of me. It’s the style I most love to sing in and is most natural for me.”
He’s had to make “minor adjustments in placement and tone when doing musicals” in comparison to his crossover sound. “In each show, I try to make the vocal choices character based so there will always be a natural shift away from my true authentic sound, however, I do believe the root/core of any singer’s sound should always remain intact because that’s what keeps everything together. Having performed roles in ‘West Side Story’, ‘Hairspray’, ‘Blood Brothers’, ‘Cat’s, ‘The Last Five’ years etc, I have always relied on my ability to be versatile, otherwise, I’d probably have worked a lot less.”
His self-titled debut was released under Fanfare Records (distributed through Sony) and featured the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. The album was a hit in Australia and Josh tells us, “There was never a moment of doubt” when it came to choosing the classical crossover genre for the record. The collaboration with his record company also seemed like a perfect fit. “It really came about through my work in musicals. Sony has a lot to do with Beautiful so the connection there was pretty strong and very natural.”
The album features; “Unchained Melody,” “Wicked Game,” “Creep” “Hallelujah” “A thousand years” (Por Mil Anos Mas) and seven others.
Josh’s bucket list includes playing the title role in ‘Phantom of the Opera’ and he also thinks ‘The Notebook’ would make an interesting musical. “What a love story that would be onstage!” We can also expect to hear more crossover music from Josh in the future. “I want to tour this album first, but I already have loads of ideas for [album] number two!” The concert stage will allow Josh to authentically show himself “as much as possible” which is a complete shift from his transformation into the various roles he plays on stage. Josh hopes to share the album internationally and to “spend a lot more time sharing my love for crossover music with the world.” Josh recently shared the stage with another Australian classical crossover artist, Mirusia Louwerse.
One song he is especially looking forward to performing from the album is ‘Say Something’ originally by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera. “There’s an emotional level to it that just gets me every time. I have yet to perform it live but I have a feeling it will be extra special in a live setting. But I always love singing ‘The Prayer’ live. It’s about as good as classical/crossover gets for me.”
