[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Jenny Lind Presents P.T. Barnum, created and starring Shelley Copper, directed by Michelle Crouch, accompanied by Ron Barnett, costumes by Megan Hope, and performed as part of the Whitefire Theatre’s Solofest 2023.
I’ve been lucky enough to see two previous shows with Shelley Cooper, at the Hollywood Fringe. They were both excellent, and both musicals. Her La Divina, The Last Interview of Maria Callas was absolutely mind blowing and her I Wanna Fall in Love was heartbreaking and beautiful. So I knew I was in for a treat before I even saw her new show, Jenny Lind Presents P.T. Barnum included in Solofest.
I was not wrong…Shelley’s obvious talents as a vocalist are entirely matched by her phenomenal ability to tell a story. She is riveting, in fact.
And as she sings so beautifully and all the little hairs on the back of our neck stand to attention, we find we are just as thrilled with her voice as we are by how completely she draws you into her world.
I had no previous knowledge of Jenny Lind, the Swedish opera singer often referred to as the Swedish Nightingale. Towards the end of her illustrious professional singing career she was contracted by the infamous P.T. Barnum to tour America…on an extremely tight schedule. What was incredibly lucrative for them both proved too rigorous for her and she broke her contract after 93 of the huge concerts. A fter which she continued her own more gentle touring schedule and earned herself a fortune, which she then donated to Swedish schools to provide an education for everyone. She was clearly an extraordinary woman.
What Shelley saw in her story was evident and the tale that elegantly unfolds on stage is poignantly punctuated with a small portion of Lind’s glorious repertoire. Shelley plays Lind with a knowing tenderness. But Lind was no shrinking violet. In fact, she was one of the very few who ever stood up to Barnum, whoever managed to break a contract in fact. I suppose he must have admired her. She was certainly a woman well ahead of her time.
Shelley plays that to perfection. The strength, the determination, the utter self knowledge, the confidence in her own worth that must have driven her throughout her life.
Shelly Cooper has created a niche. She develops these wonderful stories, with mesmerising performances of fascinating, beguiling musical women who ignore the stuffy world around them and forged their own unique paths, despite and perhaps even because of the adversity. I see Shelley in them. Her quiet strength and focus.
Her unique talents and how she uses them to find the truth in all these women. She has an artist’s eye, the voice of an angel, and a poet’s heart. We are very lucky to have her in our town creating these truly brilliant performances, showcasing these moments in history with unique warrior women who shattered preconceived notions and break the world in the best possible way.
I am ready for whoever you rediscover next Shelley Cooper!! Bravo!!!
https://www.shelley-cooper.com/