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Marie and Rosetta

 
Paul T. Davies Review by Paul T. Davies 5 Published: 7 Mar 2026 Show Dates: 28 Mar 2026-11 Apr 2026

The journey to the West End stage has finally arrived for Marie and Rosetta, setting up church in the wonderfully intimate Soho Place. Sister Rosetta Tharpe – the “Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll” – and her protégée, Marie Knight, are names everyone should know. This production restores those names in wonderful neon, as the women first meet in a funeral home – a safe space at a time when touring the American south was dangerous for performers of colour.

The singing in this show must be among the best in London right now.

In broad strokes, writer George Brant gives us the main events of their lives, but it is the music that elevates this production to something special. Rosetta was losing her gospel crown to “Saint Mahalia” (Jackson), whose pure church approach made her hugely popular. Rosetta had performed “dirty music”, played in places like the Cotton Club, and was too raunchy with her hips for many a saintly listener and viewer. Was church-raised Marie brought in to entice the core audience back? Whatever the reason, the combination of these two performers and the excellent band creates a toe-tapping, roof-raising, heart-lifting production that is impossible to resist.

Beverley Knight, as you would expect, is stunning as Sister Rosetta. The strength, vulnerability and wisdom of a woman who has been in showbusiness and been burnt many times are all there from the opening. Her marriages foreshadow the abuse suffered by Tina Turner and thousands of women who worked – and still work – in the music industry, and the racism personally experienced. But through it all, it is the voice and the music that soar.

Ntombizodwa Ndlovu is equally compelling as Marie – her nervousness at being in Rosetta’s presence, her strong faith, her concerns about the music and, above all, the love for the children she must leave behind to tour with Rosetta are all perfectly captured. As church and “dirty music” begin to reach an understanding and respect for each other, I Want a Tall Skinny Man brings the house down. The singing in this show must be among the best in London right now.

And, in a way, there lies a slight problem. The singing is so fantastic that you want more, and Brant’s script can feel a little pedestrian in its exposition, particularly in the first half. It works much better in the second, when the text segues into songs teeming with relevance. However, this is of little importance as the intimacy and in-the-round staging bring us so close to the music and the women – excellent direction by Monique Touko. (A wonderful device symbolically introduces the piano and the guitar.)

Lily Arnold’s design places us in the funeral home but opens out into various stages, remaining particularly effective at the poignant and tenderly played conclusion. Whatever your faith or beliefs, your soul needs this production – taking you to church with passion and outstanding talent.

Amir Nisi

Paul T. Davies

Paul is an award winning playwright, director, reviewer and academic. His PhD is AIDS, Queer Theory, Theatrical Discourses 1983-94, and he has a keen interest in LGBTQ+ theatre. He has directed work at the Edinburgh, Colchester and Camden Fringe Festivals.

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The Blurb:

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the roof-raising ‘godmother of rock ‘n’ roll’, influenced countless musicians from Elvis to Johnny Cash. This sparkling, intimate portrait of Rosetta and her beloved singing partner, Marie Knight, restores these forgotten musical heroines to the spotlight as one of the most remarkable and revolutionary duos in music history.

Mississippi, 1946. Sister Rosetta has changed the face of gospel music with her exuberant, electric guitar-playing style. Shunned by straitlaced church folk for performing in nightclubs and glorying in rhythm and blues, she’s persuaded the saintly young singer Marie to join her on a tour of the segregated southern States. But first she has to convert Marie’s pure Sunday sound into something that has just a little more swing…

Featuring a wealth of joyous rock and gospel hits including Didn’t It Rain and Peace in the Valley, the show will feature live musicians accompanying Olivier Award-winning West End star Beverley Knight (Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Sylvia, Sister Act) as Rosetta Tharpe.

Joining Beverley Knight is Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Marie Knight. Her recent theatre credits include Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Space Between Us, Mixtape, Nothing, and The Mountain Top (Royal Exchange Theatre).

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