Jeannette Bayardelle

Currently: Starring as Celie, the long-suffering but ultimately triumphant heroine in the hit Broadway musical The Color Purple.

Hometown: Bronx, New York

Sweet Harmony: At age five, little Jeannette began performing gospel music in church alongside siblings Anastasia and Marie as the youngest member of the Bayardelle Sisters. "I was brought up in the church, so singing came naturally to me," she says. Bayardelle went on to attend New York's High School of Performing Arts as a vocal major, then earned a degree from Hunter College in—surprise!—medical laboratory science.

Doctor, Doctor: Bayardelle's family is filled with medical pros: Her father is a doctor; sister Anastasia is now a pediatrician; sister Marie is a nurse. "Education was very important in my household," the actress says, noting that if she hadn't decided to concentrate on performing, she would have gone to medical school herself. "My family was always supportive of my singing, but they wanted me to have a backup plan in case things didn't work out." But work out, they did: Bayardelle's credits include national tours of Big River and Rent alongside Constantine Maroulis, a stint in Royal Caribbean's "Broadway on the Seas" revue, and the release of her own gospel CD, Praise Report, last fall.

Cover Me: For the past year, Bayardelle not only understudied LaChanze as Celie, she covered 10 other parts in The Color Purple—and went on in all 11 more than once. Rather than panic at so much responsibility, "I decided to learn the show as one big song," she explains. "I would sing the whole thing, and I learned everyone's part, including Mister. Everybody! I enjoyed every role I played—Nettie, the church soloist, the church ladies, the dancers—but Celie was the most fulfilling. I have so much fun going on the journey from being 14 years old to over 50 years old. By the end of the show, there's not a dry eye in the house. Just looking out at the audience gives me goosebumps."

Filling Big Shoes: Does the fact that her predecessor won the Best Actress Tony Award create extra pressure? "Yes and no," Bayardelle reflects. "I'm so comfortable in the part that I feel I 'become' Celie. It's is such a part of me now that I don't think about [LaChanze's] Tony, I think about the work." And yet, she admits, hearing her character described as "ugly" throughout the show takes its toll: "I didn't think that would bother me until opening night, when my family was in the audience. But I look to LaChanze—she was strong enough to do it and she's a beautiful woman."

Pajama Parties: Many Broadway casts describe themselves as being "like family," but the gals of The Color Purple take that notion to the next level: "Once a month, we have what we call 'Ladies' Night,'" Bayardelle says. "We go to one of the girls' houses and have a sleepover. We end up staying up all night talking." As many as 15 women join in on Ladies' Night, including backstage crew members. "Anyone who's a part of The Color Purple can come," she says. "We have so much fun."

The Gospel Truth: Rather than sleep in on Sundays, Bayardelle spends the morning singing at the Fountain of Life Church in Uniondale, NY, where she is vice president of the music department and in charge of choosing the songs for praise and worship. "We have three services on Sunday but I only do the morning one," she says. After all, a matinee performance of The Color Purple is also on her Sunday schedule. "I'm used to singing all day, every day," she says with laugh. "There's no 'my voice is tired.' I feel that gospel music is my calling, so I have to stay in it. God gives me the strength to do what I need to do."