Josh Piterman's only regret at joining the West End production of acclaimed musical Les Miserables is that he'll miss watching his beloved Western Bulldogs in the upcoming AFL season.
Piterman will take on the iconic role of Jean Valjean in Cameron Mackintosh's production of Victor Hugo's classic tale.
"Jean Valjean does wear a lot of red, white and blue so there is a silver lining," Piterman told ABC News Breakfast.
The Melbourne-born performer is returning to London's West End for the first time since his star turn in Phantom of the Opera was prematurely ended by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He's keeping a pretty tight schedule too, starting in his new role just a month after finishing his run in the Australian production of Phantom of the Opera.
"Just super excited and so grateful for another opportunity to return to the West End," he said after his casting was announced this week.
"This is the show that I first fell in love with growing up."
Piterman has always had a soft spot for Les Mis, having been exposed to the musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic tale at an impressively young age.
"I first saw it when I was eight on a family trip to London and it was always playing in the car on road trips so I've known the show and loved the show," he said.
"I've auditioned for it a couple of times unsuccessfully so it's a show that's sort of been out of reach."
The years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic have been full of highs and lows for Piterman, who made a name for himself as part of the pop opera group The Ten Tenors.
He made his West End debut in 2019 before world events threw the live theatre sector into disarray.
"I got 200 shows into Phantom and then COVID hit so after 9 months or so I decided to come back to Australia, wasn't sure what was going to happen then got this call to do Phantom here and then COVID hit again," he said.
The Australian production of Phantom of the Opera has since been revived with successful runs in Sydney and Melbourne, where Piterman is preparing to play the eponymous phantom for just two more shows.
He'll then fly to London for three weeks of rehearsal before starting his run as Jean Valjean on March 27.
"I've been deep in the Victor Hugo novel which is just the most beautiful and incredibly rich source material," he said.
