Beverley Knight to Star in U.K. Premiere of Marie and Rosetta | Playbill

International News Beverley Knight to Star in U.K. Premiere of Marie and Rosetta

Centering on the legendary musician Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her protégé, Marie Knight, the play was written by George Brant.

Seamus Ryan

Olivier winner Beverley Knight (The Drifters Girl) will star as the legendary singer, songwriter, and guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the U.K. premiere of Marie and Rosetta later this year.

Centering on Tharpe and her protégé, Marie Knight, the play was written by George Brant (Grounded). Directed by Monique Touko (The Boy at the Back of the Class), this play-with-music will feature a mixture of gospel and blues hits to fill in the dramatic portrait.

Presented by Rose Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and ETT, Marie and Rosetta will run at the Rose Theatre in Kingston May 2 through 24 (with opening night set for May 9) before transferring to Chichester Festival Theatre for a run from June 25-July 26. 

Said Knight, “It is a great honor to be cast in the role of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the unsung architects of rock ‘n’ roll. I am and have always been a storyteller, whether it be in a purely music form or in a theatrical setting. I’m excited to be able to tell the Sister Rosetta story in this important play about her life, trailblazing career, and her relationship with the legendary gospel singer Marie Knight...Sister Rosetta Tharpe, with her powerful expressive voice, her electrifying guitar and her Gospel message laid the foundations on which Chuck Berry, Ike Turner, Elvis Presley and literally everyone else has walked. The Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll deserves to be celebrated and remembered."

Additional casting and the complete creative team are to be announced.

Visit RoseTheatre.org.

 
Today’s Most Popular News:
 X

Blocking belongs
on the stage,
not on websites.

Our website is made possible by
displaying online advertisements to our visitors.

Please consider supporting us by
whitelisting playbill.com with your ad blocker.
Thank you!