LOS ANGELES?When we watched Joanna ?Jo? Ampil as Christmas Eve in ?Avenue Q? at the Gielgud Theatre in London last year, it was our first time to see her perform.

She totally captivated the crowd, including us, in her portrayal of the funny, scene-stealing character?a Japan-born therapist in Brooklyn with equally scene-stealing costumes. She sang darn well, too, in the Tony Award-winning musical with puppets operated by actors onstage. Since Jo crooned in Christmas Eve?s heavily applauded signature song ?The More You Ruv Someone? that night, we ?ruv? her to this day. She also tickled the Gielgud crowd with her delivery of ?It Sucks To Be Me.?

After a curtain call punctuated by vigorous cheers from the audience and after she hung her costume (it lights up literally like a Christmas tree), Jo invited my wife Janet and me up her dressing room to chat over juice and cookies. Amid the crowd adulation for her in this venerable West End theater, Jo shared what she missed about the Philippines: ?I miss the night life. I miss not being homesick because it is so much fun over there. And it gets really lonely here sometimes.?

Impressive credits

Only 16 when she left the Philippines to join ?Miss Saigon? in London, Jo has since racked up impressive stage credits in Europe and Australia. Jo went on to play some of musical theater?s memorable characters: Mary Magdalene (?Jesus Chris Superstar?), Princess Jasmine (?Aladdin?), Eponine and Fantine (?Les Miserables?), Sheila Franklin (?Hair?) and Mimi (?Rent?), among others. She sang as Fantine in a special performance of ?Les Mis? before Queen Elizabeth II, other members of the royal family, Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac, who were then British Prime Minister and French President, respectively, and other VIPs at the Windsor Castle.

After recently singing ?The More You Ruv Someone? one last time, Jo flew back to Manila to release her first ?hometown? album, ?Try Love,? on Monday, Feb. 15. She also has an eponymously titled solo album of musical theater staples and is featured in various cast and special recordings, but these were all made abroad. ?Try Love? is a collection of familiar pop songs so it will appeal to a wider audience. From the way Jo excitedly described the tracks, we think more people will discover and ?ruv? her when they listen to ?Try Love.?

Below are excerpts from our London chat and a recent e-mail interview with her:

How was your final night as Christmas Eve?

It was a lot of fun. A little emotional but more on the fun side. I will surely miss this role as I found it quite unique in many ways.

What will you miss about Christmas Eve?

I was in the show for 10 months so I will of course miss the people I worked with. There were only 13 of us, which is a pretty small cast. You have no choice but to get along with people. With this cast, it happened naturally.

I will miss the laughter from the audience. I felt like a proper comedienne as Christmas Eve. I never thought I could do ?funny.?

Are you already missing that Christmas tree-inspired costume with flashing lights? Any stage mishaps with that costume?

I was just about to say that I?m missing that dress, too. That is the best costume I?ve ever worn in my history of musical theater. I always imagined tripping over the dress and falling off stage. Thank God that never happened?the latter, I mean. Because the tripping over the dress happened several times. I guess it just added to the comedy.

What were your memorable experiences in the show?

It would have to be the opening night when I experienced having an audience who actually laughed at the lines I delivered. It was addictive. Also, the closing night at the Noel Coward (theater where the show opened initially), before the transfer to the Gielgud. We all felt like rock stars. The audience went extremely wild.

How did you keep your performances fresh every night?

You find inspiration every day and you make sure you give your 100 percent. You don?t slack off. It is a skill that you develop in musical theater. And since we did it eight times a week, you learn to keep it fresh.

Who are some of the celebrities who watched ?Avenue Q? during your run?

We had Emma Watson, Geri Halliwell, some local celebs from London. Brian May from Queen, and loads more I can?t remember.

Can you tell us about your experience performing for the Queen?

That was the highlight of my career?to be able to perform for the royal family and other dignitaries. She was so charming. Performing for the Queen for the first time made me so nervous. And since I was the first person to do a solo number for her, I was scared.

How was your first meeting with her?

We chatted a little bit. I remember she had lipstick smudge on her teeth so that made me feel less intimidated. I felt she was human, too. Cameron Mackintosh was the one who introduced me to her. He said, ?Joanna performed in ?Les Miserables? as Fantine.? To which the Queen replied, ?Is that right?? in her proper English accent. And I think I fumbled and said, ?Yes, Ma?am? instead of ?Yes, Your Highness.?

What were you looking forward to about coming home?

I am very much looking forward to releasing my album. I made sure that I didn?t book myself to do any shows in London just so I can concentrate on this. Secondly, the food?

Tell us about the album with Sony Music Philippines.

It is a collaboration of mostly ballads from the past. Songs I used to listen to when I was growing up in Manila. Some of them chosen by me and others by people who know my voice pretty well. It is a revival of pop songs mostly from the ?70s and ?80s. But we rearranged everything. Vic Valenciano of Sony Music really did a great job of finding out which songs would work for me. These include ?Healing,? ?If I Believed,? ?Lately,? the Stevie Wonder hit, some Carpenters songs, too, and one Tagalog piece by Dingdong Avanzado. Girlie Rodis, my manager, insisted that I include one Tagalog song, ?Maghihintay Sa ?Yo.? That is very special to me because in London, every time they ask me to sing a Tagalog song, that?s the one I sing. I also have ?Try Love,? the title track, a piece by Julie Gold, who composed ?From A Distance.?

I have to thank Ariel Rivera, too, for agreeing to do a duet of ?The Last time I Felt Like This? with me. His rendition was excellent.

Which of those songs resonate with you the most and why?

As a person, ?Healing? has a message that touches me. It?s almost spiritual and inspiring.

How is this album special?

I?ve never done an album in my hometown. And it?s my first mostly pop album. I?ve only done musical ones and the styles are totally different. I am very happy with it and working with the team, especially Ferdie Marquez (musical supervisor), was a real treat. He was just as thorough as I was. I love that. When you do a record, you try to eliminate as many mistakes as you can. It?ll be there forever.

You?ve played some of musical theater?s most interesting women. Which ones did you identify with the most and the least?

Identify with the most would be pretty hard as I would like to believe that at that point in time, I was the part I was playing. I identified the least with Mary Magdalene. It was my second show in the West End and I had just turned 21. Playing a reformed prostitute at that age was pretty harrowing.

Aside from performing for the Queen, what are your 10 most unforgettable moments as a performer?

1) Working with Nick Hytner in ?Miss Saigon.?

2) Seeing people in the audience, particularly this man in his late 60s, stand up after a performance of ?Les Mis? with tears in his eyes.

3) When Andrew Lloyd Webber shook my hand and knew my name (at one of the gatherings we had after a performance of ?Jesus Chris Superstar?).

4) Performing as Eliza Doolittle, with Jonathan Pryce as Higgins when we did a tribute to ?My Fair Lady? after ?Miss Saigon? became the longest-running musical and beat ?My Fair Lady?s? record.

5) Closing night of ?Miss Saigon? because that same night, I got the news that I was to play Eponine in ?Les Mis.?

6) Sydney premiere of ?Miss Saigon? with my family being there.

7) Sitting next to Judi Dench when she decided to join us onstage in ?Les Mis.?

8) When we moved ?Les Mis? to a new theater (Queens) and working with the original team.

9) Performing in front of a Filipino audience when I played the role of Maria in ?West Side Story.?

10) Sitting on Christian Slater?s lap when he played Santa during our ?X?mas Kringle.?

E-mail the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com.