“She so completely embodied the life and work of Callas that for most of the performance it was hard to tell it was Shelley performing and not the real Maria Callas”
— Earl Weaver, Artistic Director of Theatre UCF
“I have heard all of the live operatic performances in Chiangmai in the last 29 years and I believe Shelley Cooper’s ‘La Divina’ was the best of them all”
— Dr. Howard Graves, Fine Arts Expert
“For a riveting 75 minutes the audience ‘eavesdropped’ as it were, on La Divina’s interview with a non-existant Mr. Wallace. We were dragged through trauma, allowed glimpses of an extremely complex and tormented woman, and treated to some operatic gems including O Mio Babbino Caro, Carmen’s seductive Habanera and Vissi d’arte. Cooper WAS Callas!”
— Lesley Junlakan, Bangkok Theatre Festival
“In the title role, Shelley Cooper’s voice rivals the Ariel familiar to us from the Disney movie. Her vocals jump from tender to powerful, wistful to funny with equal assurance. Big and bright, highly emotive, she’s clearly played much larger venues. Her performance is reminiscent of vintage Lucille Ball slapstick as she contorts her face to make Ariel’s nervousness and awkwardness apparent. When she finally plays it straight in the plaintive “If Only,” we witness the heart-tugging grace and vulnerability she’s capable of.”
— Linda Lowen, Syracuse.com
“Company regular Shelley Cooper already won her star with lead roles in the recent dual productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Into the Woods, but here she is both a comic and tragic heroine.”
— James MaKillop, Syracuse New Times
“Cooper’s salty/sweet rendition of ‘It was a very Good Year’ tells an altogether different story then Frank’s, but the show is richer for it.”
— Glenn Kaufmann, Herald Times
“As Curley’s Wife, Shelley Cooper exudes a heady cocktail of snobby, sexy disdain that can’t help but ensnare both George and her audience.”
— Glenn Kaufmann, Herald Times
“Cooper was hilarious as Audrey trying and failing miserably as a singer and later touching as the widow protecting the legacy.”
— George Walker, WFIU radio
“Cooper brings levity to Hank Williams play…. Cooper has the voice of an angel….Cooper’s performance alone is worth the price of admission!”