Joanna Ampil Back In Manila For One-Night Concert, 9/18

London-based musical theatre actress Joanna Ampil ("Miss Saigon", "Les Miserables") is back in Manila for "Joanna Ampil: West End Girl", a one-night musical theatre/pop hybrid concert at Onstage, 2/F Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati City on Saturday, September 18, 2010 at 8 p.m. Ambient Media's FILharmoniKA orchestra, under the baton of Gerard Salonga, will accompany the singer and actress.  Sony Music Philippines' balladeer Ariel Rivera is her special guest artist. 

Ms. Ampil, who has been essaying the most highly sought after roles in the West End - from Kim in "Miss Saigon" to Fantine in "Les Miserables" for 17 years now, is not a stranger anymore among theatre buffs and concert-goers in Manila.  Locally, she debuted as the alternately fragile and strong-willed Maria in the restaging of "West Side Story" in 2008.  She also starred in her first solo concert at the Music Museum in 2009. 

In a press gathering hosted for her last year, Metro Magazine's "Global Filipino" Ms. Ampil said staging her first ever solo concert at the Music Museum was also her first time to perform without a "mask". "People always see me as a character on a musical theatre stage. But in a concert or a pop recording, I only play myself."

Staying true to self sans an actor's characterizations, Ms. Ampil recently released a pop album entitled "Try Love", produced by Ferdie Marquez for Sony Music Philippines.   In contrast to the singer and actress' musical theatre-oriented album recorded at the Abbey Road Studios London in 2006 and 2007, "Try Love" contains pop cover versions instead that include "I'm Caught Between Goodbye and I Love You" by The Carpenters, "I Don't Have The Heart" by James Ingram, and "The Last Time I Felt Like This", a duet with Mr. Rivera. In these new recordings, the genuine and honest romantic side in Ms. Ampil flows effortlessly marked with vocal ease, quality, and flexibility.

However, her long-time musical theatre fans, including this author, will never be satisfied sitting through a two-hour concert until Ms. Ampil belts out some show-stopping Broadway hit songs! We expect her to at least perform a few show tunes from her past shows - the heart wrenching "I'd Give My Life For You" from "Miss Saigon", the love-longing "On My Own" from "Les Miserables" or the raunchy "Out Tonight" from "Rent" perhaps. 

For tickets to "Joanna Ampil: West End Girl", contact Ticketworld at (632) 891-9999 or log on to http://www.ticketworld.com.ph. Ticket Prices:  PhP 2,000, 1,200, 900, 700 and 500

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