The world premiere of Marie and Rosetta by Grounded playwright George Brant officially opened at the Atlantic Theater September 14. The Off-Broadway show is directed by artistic director Neil Pepe and stars Rebecca Naomi Jones (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) and Kecia Lewis (Mother Courage), who plays famed gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe—an influence to the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix.
The show, which has been extended to play through October 16, chronicles Tharpe’s first rehearsal with young protégé Marie Knight, as they prepare to embark on a tour that would establish them as one of the great duet teams in musical history.
Performances began August 24. Read reviews below:
The Hollywood Reporter
The Huffington Post
The New York Times
NBC New York
Newsday
Time Out New York
The Village Voice
Vulture
See photos of Jones and Lewis in the show:
“Sister Rosetta Tharpe was a legend in her time, bringing fierce guitar-playing and swing to gospel music,“ state Atlantic production notes. “Tharpe was the queen of ‘race records’ in the 30’s and 40’s, a woman who played guitar as passionately as Clapton, who performed mornings at churches and evenings at the Cotton Club, who was a big enough star to fill a baseball stadium for her third wedding, but ended up buried in an unmarked grave in Philadelphia. Marie and Rosetta chronicles her first rehearsal with a young protégé, Marie Knight, as they prepare to embark on a tour that would establish them as one of the great duet teams in musical history.“
Performances take place in the Linda Gross Theater, located at 336 West 20th Street, New York.
For tickets visit Atlantictheater.org, call OvationTix at (866) 811-4111, or visit in person at The Linda Gross Theater box office.
