Reviews
“An IMPRESSIVE voice. An IMPRESSIVE performance. The work of a QUADRUPLE THREAT!”
“A few blocks away on Ars Nova’s stage, you’ll find another bio-musical, this one, refreshingly, about a nobody: a smart black girl named Shida who finds her path to adulthood cratered with all-too-common pitfalls — abuse, pregnancy, drugs. Jeannette Bayardelle (a young performer seen in Hair and The Color Purple) wrote and composed this one-act, one-woman descent into hell — a heartfelt and affecting work, featuring a robust, small-combo score and a fearsome suite of characters embodied by the protean, inexhaustible Bayardelle. She grew up with the real Shida, and watched her slide backwards from promising student to near-casualty — this show is her tribute, as a friend, and also her triumph, as a creator-performer. And in the snug Ars Nova den, there’s no escaping her. “
The New Yorker
“SHIDA is a solo TOUR-DE-FORCE!”
The Boston Globe
“Bayardelle’s vocals SURPRISE and IMPRESS.”
NY Daily News
“A MUST-SEE! Bayardelle absolutely amazes – a talented TRIPLE THREAT. An AMAZING show that I’m certain will leave those who see it in awe of the IMMENSE TALENT that Jeannette Bayardelle possesses as an actor, singer, and writer.”
The Harlem Times
“70 MINUTES packed with hope, fear, laughter, and growth. An emotionally gripping TOUR-DE-FORCE!”
Curtain Up
“SHIDA is awesomely TRANSFORMATIVE! Jeannette Bayardelle’s fast-paced, biographical glimpse at a modern black woman’s tragedies and triumphs packs a punch. A MUST-SEE experience. “TRANSFORMATIVE. As anthemic as FOR COLORED GIRLS…SHIDA packs a punch, and Bayardelle sings her face off! GO SEE IT!”
Karu F. Daniels, Uptown Magazine
“A GENUINE TALENT for storytelling. SATISFYINGLY SOULFUL melodies, delivered with a strong, Broadway-caliber voice.”
TheaterMania
“REMARKABLE! The one-word summary of this VIBRANT, HARROWING, and UPLIFTING show is a simple WOW. With a shape-shifting ease that’s almost eerie, Bayardelle is SCARILY GOOD.”
Edge Boston
“An emotional MASTERPIECE.”
Electric Link
“Bayardelle is nothing short of ASTONISHING!”
Chicago Sun-Times
“Bayardelle is a powerhouse singer!”
San Francisco Chronicle
Jeannette Bayardelle has written a raw and thrilling piece of theater called SHIDA, and we were absolutely thrilled to present the first public reading at Birdland! This one-woman tour-de-force has a soulful score that features rock, jazz, R&B, and gospel music, and judging from the response of the sold-out house, is one that should be heard by theater-lovers everywhere. Many thanks to Jeannette, musical director Clay Bogan III, and director Andy Sandberg for bringing this inspiring evening to our stage!
Jim Caruso, Broadway at Birdland
“Bayardelle is a RADIANT and ASSURED performer – a stage diva who can RATTLE THE RAFTERS!”
NY1