![]() It’s so many things that you can explore. ![]() That’s why I take her on and I actually look after her. This is a mother-daughter kind of relationship or a sister or someone you’re close to, someone you can relate to, someone that you can see. I know it is a love story between Kim and Chris but it can also be a love story between The Engineer and Kim. We are just creating a new narrative with a different perspective in the context of, say, sisterhood and women empowerment. Q: So, did you and the co-directors, Robert Hastie, and Anthony Lau, come up with the backstory of the female The Engineer? Is her story the same as that of the male The Engineer? So yeah, I just can’t wait for people to see it. So, I get to sing all those wonderful numbers and give my own take and my stamp. ![]() And “Bangkok” (“What a Waste”) is so much fun. And “If You Want to Die in Bed” as well, that’s another one. So, it’s just nice to be able to delve into the most profound parts of the songs. We always think that “The American Dream” is such a fun number.īut there’s so much in that song that you can explore, like the emotional side of it because you’re talking about her dreams, her innermost dreams or precious dreams, and that is a big deal. Now, I understand why so many people love this role.īut of course, being a woman, you explore the vulnerability of songs such as “The American Dream,” of all songs. Oh my gosh, I feel like I’m in a playground. Q: Now that you’re in rehearsals, how does it feel to be playing The Engineer instead of Kim? And then it started sinking into my head that, okay, I’m going to be playing this. I started writing things down already as soon as I was offered the role, all the ideas running through my head. I don’t think that’s going to work or this is going to work. So I was walking aimlessly around London thinking, okay, I was going through the script of Miss Saigon and trying to remember the lines of The Engineer, and then I’m thinking, okay, this is going to happen and this is not possible. All those things are going to happen, so don’t worry. And yes, there’s going to be a key change. So, they said, yes, Cameron is happily involved in some bits here because he needs to approve certain things. And all these ideas are running through my head, like how is that going to be? How’s that going to happen? How’s that possible? They’re going to have to change so many things, the keys of the songs, some of the lyrics, for sure. He said, “It’s for the role of The Engineer.” And for a second, I was quiet because I really didn’t know how to react. When I saw him, I was like, “So what’s the big show?” And he was like, “Well, we’re thinking of casting you for Miss Saigon.” And I was really perplexed because I was like, “Are you going to have a mother there? Or I don’t know what character I’m going to play. So, the meeting happened and I met up with Anthony Lau, who’s the associate artistic director of Sheffield Theatres. They said they wanted to see me for a big show and they’d like to discuss it with me. The following are excerpts from our video conversation. The full cast includes Jessica Lee (Kim and alternate Mimi), Desmonda Cathabel (Mimi and alternate Kim), Aynrand Ferrer (Gigi), Shanay Holmes (Ellen), Ethan Le Phong (Thuy), Christian Maynard (Chris), Emily Ooi (Yvonne and understudy Gigi), Shane O’Riordan (John), and Ericka Posadas (Fifi and understudy The Engineer). Jo leads the cast, several of whom are her fellow Filipinos. When Jo revealed the details of her take on the female The Engineer to me, this restaging of Miss Saigon sounded even more exciting than I thought. Just last month, she finished being part of a successful South Korean tour of Cats where she played the plum part, Grizabella. The Manila-born actress also memorably played Candida opposite Rachel Alejandro’s Paula in Ang Larawan, Loy Arcenas’ film adaptation of the stage musical by Ryan Cayabyab and Rolando Tinio, which was also adapted from Nick Joaquin’s play, A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino. It’s yet another feat in Jo’s international career, which, aside from her Kim performances in the London, Sydney, United Kingdom touring, and 10th anniversary productions, features a long list of stage credits, including West End productions of South Pacific and Jesus Christ Superstar.
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