Fit New Cats On The Prowl

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s new West End version of Cats is now set to prowl stages across Australia. Two of the new cats in the alley, Josh Piterman (Bustopher Jones, Gus and Growltiger) and Holly Meegan (Jennyanydots) spoke to Neil Litchfield during rehearsals.

Cats marks Josh Piterman’s return to the commercial musical theatre stage, after establishing his Melbourne fitness business, PITFIT, in St Kilda.

What came first for Josh, I asked, fitness or performing?

“From the age of eight or nine, Aussie Rules, Tennis and Basketball played a huge part in my life,” Josh reveals. "It wasn’t until Year 11 or 12 that I did a school musical and fell in love with performing.

“I wanted to study physiotherapy, had done work experience with the North Melbourne Football Club, and had a great passion for the way the body moves. Injury and injury prevention was a big part of my headspace. Musical theatre came into my life and I was immediately swept up in the fun and passion, and to a degree, the attention-seeking nature of a 16 – 17 year old boy being thrust centre stage. It was just so cool.

“I decided to put physiotherapy to one side, and pursue musical theatre. I was lucky enough to get into Ballarat (Arts Academy at Federation University). I was a fanatically hard worker. When I get into something I get very obsessed with it very quickly and rid myself of any social engagement so that I can just work meticulously on the craft. (Other students would) go out to the pub for drinks and I’d do scales, or practice text, or a dance routine.

“Coming out of uni I did an opera with Melbourne Opera, a year at Tokyo Disney as a Jazz Broadway singer, then The Ten Tenors. In 2009, three years after graduating I got my first musical, The Drowsy Chaperone, with the MTC and Geoffrey Rush, then I was cast in West Side Story, playing Tony for a year.

“I was cast in An Officer and A Gentleman, and the tragedy of that musical not becoming a commercial success gave me the idea that Australia wasn’t the only place to do this. I had a Polish Passport so I went over to the UK and did Hairspray. From 2006 until 2013 when I did Hairspray, I just didn’t stop for seven years.

“A part of me was a little burnt out, and I just wanted something different. Through that time I’d done my Certificate 3 in Fitness online, and as soon as Hairspray finished I came back and did my Certificate 4 with the Australian Institute of Fitness.

“It became really apparent to me that this is my way of dealing with human body - anatomy, bio-mechanics and injury prevention – and that I could possibly create something unique to the Performing Arts sphere. I did some workshops with The Australian Ballet, worked with the Melbourne Football Club’s strength and conditioning department to see how athletes are trained; that combination of working with elite sporting athletes and ballet performers, really two parallels, combined well with my knowledge of being a performer.

"I created quite a unique fitness model which is all about how the body moves on 360 degrees of space, using various modern tools like kettle bells and suspension training, to make performers, dancers especially, the best athletes they can be. At a fundamental level we’re all artists, but doing eight shows a week in a musical like West Side Story or Cats is so athletic, and requires so much of the body, doing things to enhance it’s athletic ability and mitigate the risk of injury is of the highest importance.

“On both those shows we have a Physio, but what you do before getting into the show; what you do to get into the show; the sort of work you do in order to be great physical shape to do that show; when you are doing it eight times a week, what kind of recovery work you do; what kind of work you’re doing to keep up your fitness; then when you’re finished Cats you’ve got to be on to the next thing, so you need to have a body that has the capacity to be malleable, and to do multiple things.”

Josh established his business PITFIT in ST Kilda. 

“I did it by myself for about a year, but it became too big. It meant that I couldn’t perform in the way I wanted to, and after a year of not doing any performing, that flame inside you burns to get back out there. I was very eager, but knew that I’d have to wait a while if I was to go down the road of obtaining and setting up a studio, building a real business, and having staff, which I’ve done now, which has let me go back to doing musicals. So I’ve just done a short season of Blood Brothers, and now Cats is happening, so it’s been a perfect situation.” 

Cats is one of those musicals which Josh grew up loving, but he thought his chances to perform in it would have to wait another decade or so, given the conventional casting of the roles.

“Promoting the concept of happiness, wellness and fitness through PITFIT leaves me feeling pretty comfortable about the way my body works, and being comfortable with myself, and being comfortable going back into performing. Cats feels awesome, rehearsals are lots of fun, and I’m so glad to be back in a big commercial show – just that whole energy of being in a cast and the team mentality of that – improvising being cats, and scratching and sniffing, and all sorts of silly things that you do in order to become the cats. I probably haven’t done this sort of stuff since uni, and it’s far less stressful than owning a business.”

WAAPA trained Holly Meegan joins the new Australian cast of Cats fresh from the Asian tour of the show, her first major musical.

“Cats has been the most phenomenal experience for me. It’s so unique, in that it’s an ensemble show and everyone really gets a moment to shine, but then also has to learn to work together as a team. There’s the beauty as a cast in dancing together, moving together, being cats together, and being a family or tribe of cats together, where you all learn from each other. 

“It takes away any of that sort of politics that can happen with casts in terms of youth, and chorus, and stuff, and it really unifies you as a cast and part of this incredible experience.

The Asian production of Cats was the old version of the show, familiar to Australian audiences, but there have been significant updates to this new West End version.

“For the new version I’ll have to do a whole revamped Broadway-style tap dance, so that’s been a challenge, but a really exciting one. It’s nice to have a change, because after you’ve done it for a year and a half, it’s nice to take it up a level, and have something new and exciting, as well as all the old stuff that I’ve loved doing.”

How are people who know the original version of Cats going to be surprised by the changes?

“In terms of what’s going to be new and exciting, my number (The Old Gumbie Cat) is probably brighter and more fun, and it has a kind of really swing, fun jazz style. Then obviously there’s Rum Tum Tugger, which has been updated to include rap and appeal to newer generations.

“Then in the second act the whole Growltiger number has been changed and edited.”  

What was special about doing the Asian tour?

“It was lovely being in an international setting. The cast was from all over the world – South Africa, Australia and the UK. It was lovely being with them, and also getting to learn from other artists from around the world, coming together and bonding through this show. I made some incredible friends.  

“It was also getting to experience another wonderful country. Korean audiences are amazing. They love the show and they’re so supportive and excited. That whole international flavour.”

How important a part of rehearsals has improvisation been  for Cats?

“The improvisation is so essential in terms of Cats, because you’re improvising constantly on stage, and it has to be fresh and alive for us to be believable, real life cats. It’s interesting to come back to it, because the first time you do it, and you just pretend to be a cat, you have no idea what you’re doing. Joe, our director (in Korea), encouraged us to find it in our bodies ourselves – to investigate our own bodies and think about it, as opposed to directing us as to what a cat should do. I learnt so much about the physicality of a cat from the research that I did, and then exploring it myself in my own body, my own character and finding what works best for me. There’s also working with other people and watching what they do.”

Has your cat changed much over the time you’ve been doing the show? 

“When you’re doing a role for a long period of time, you learn to breathe in it more, and it becomes a bit more complex and detailed. As I’ve gone on, I think she’s got a little sassier, and while she’s an old lady, she’s got so much spunk, and now with the new tap number she’s got funkier, and even sassier.” 

How is it working with Delta Goodrem (Grizabella)? 

“Incredible. She’s so down to earth and lovely, so there, and so focused on the work. She just fits in with everyone else, but you look at her and she’s such a beautiful pop star, but she’s just a hardworking, talented individual, so it’s just been a pleasure watching the way that she works and her attitude.” 

Having spoken to Josh about fitness for performers, I asked Holly about her regimen while performing in Cats. 

“I’ve had the blessing of doing it for a long time. It takes a while for your body to adapt to the physicality of it. It took me a long time to build up the stamina that I have now. I’ve only had little breaks between tours, so doing the show has kept me fit, but I go to the gym, and you have to make sure you do your warm up classes and ballet class, and also health, nutrition and sleep. This show has taught me to get a good night’s sleep and to eat really well. If I don’t do these things, I can’t function and do the show to the level I want.”

Originally published in the September / October 2015 Edition of Stage Whispers