London's West End Pinay star to wow Cebuanos at The Terraces

London’s West End, akin to New York’s Broadway, is populated by a discriminating audience. But guess who has wowed that crowed since she was seventeen?

Rob O’Keefe of The London Theater Guide wrote of London-based Filipino thespian Joanna Ampil, “…she plays [the role of Fantine in the 2004 production of Les Miserables] wonderfully, her voice is excellent….”

Even a Bloomberg.com review of her June character in “The Musical of Musicals” states, “June’s character is played in all her various manifestations by the irresistible Joanna Ampil.”

She played Maria in the Stages’ recently concluded production of “West Side Story” at the September-October performances at the Meralco Theater and has gained fans and honored Filipinos with her talent.

Truly a world-class musical treat awaits Cebuanos today, October 30, 2008 when this West End star performs during “Music and Movement,” the soft opening of The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu. She takes the stage with international star Billy Crawford and sensational Australian-born Cebuana performer Rowena Vilar.

Ampil, who calls Manila as her birthplace, started singing at a young age of six. She was seventeen when she began her acting career, catapulting to the West End limelight when she was chosen to play the lead role of Kim in the London production of “Miss Saigon.”

She got handpicked by Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber in 1996 to play the female lead role of Mary Magdalene in his production of “Jesus Christ Superstar” at the Lyceum Theater—a first for Filipino artists.

But her biggest performance, according to her own admission, was when she played the role of Fantine in a special private concert of “Les Misérables” in front of her Majesty the Queen, the Royal Family, PM Tony Blair and French President Jacques Chirac at the Windsor Castle. It was televised on BBC for a documentary entitled “A Day in the Life of Windsor Castle.”

Aside from theater, Joanna has appeared in numerous concerts, workshops, and radio and television programs globally.

All these success comes with a story, and she will personally tell it herself during “Music and Movement”. Be blown away at the soft opening of The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu. For details on how to get an entry pass, call 232-0380.