Having originally played at Kingston’s Rose Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre, writer George Brant’s Marie & Rosetta has opened at London’s Soho Place for it’s West End transfer .
Directed by Stage Debut Award winner Monique Touko (The Boy at the Back of the Class and Jaja’s African Hair Braiding), leading ladies, the phenomenal singer-song writer actor and Marie and Rosetta executive produer Beverley Knight (Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Sylvia, Sister Act) as Rosetta Tharpe and recent graduate from Manchester School of Theatre, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu (Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Space Between Us, Mixtape, Nothing, and The Mountain Top) as Marie Knight making her West End debut shine in their roles.
Although revered by big names of her time including Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Eric Clapton it’s a crying shame that most of us have never heard of the formidable Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her significant contribution to the music scene as the first black female solo artist. As recently as 2023. Rolling Stone magazine named Rosetta Tharpe, the sixth greatest guitarist of all time.
Marie & Rosetta does an incredible job of educating us on who US singer, songwriter and guitarist Rosetta was and why she deserves her flowers – better late than never. From humble beginnings and singing at church from the tender age of 6 years old to becoming the ‘Godmother of Rock n Roll’, this is an entertaining and heartwarming two hander complete with all black female live band. What we lack in not seeing Knight and Ndlovu play musical instruments we gain in seeing musical director and guitarist Shirley Tetteh and fellow musicians Mia Odeleye (pianist), Genevieve Namazzi (double bassist), and Ashari Andrews (drummer).
So, of course music is truly at the heart of this story and Beverley Knight and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu are unmatched with their equally magnificent vocals. Whether through solos or duets, both bless us with powerful, roof-raising performances as they take us to church making their way through Tharpe’s incredible backlog of gospel and rock n roll influenced tracks. Favourites include Up Above My Head and I Wanna Tall Skinny Papa – which was frowned upon but secretly loved by many including Marie Knight’s own father.
Marie & Rosetta covers a lot of ground with themes such as segregation and domestic abuse covered subtlety and thoughtfully without shying away from the very real issues of that time for black people. On the road, we’re told that they’ll have to eat ‘gospel chicken’ (Bolani) and drink sweet tea because they’re not allowed to dine in the restaurants and eat hot food.
The chemistry between Knight and Ndlovu enables them both to fully embody their characters. Knight’s Rosetta Tharpe is no nonsense yet playful and joyful constantly encouraging her to loosen up and taking the mic out of Ndlovu’s meek, sensible and restrained Marie Knight. Touko’s direction in the round of Soho Place is engaging with effective use of Lily Arnold’s minimalist set design.
Rehearsing in a funeral parlour, as they have limited options, they prepare for their first performance together, they try to find familiar ground. Tharpe wants Knight to lean into more hip swaying and Knight wants Tharpe to be mindful of what’s expected of a gospel singer. What is clear is that ‘saint’ Mahalia (Jackson) was seen as a threat to Rosetta and as her main rival in the industry. Knight and Ndlovu ‘s exchanges and intimacy provide much of the show’s tenderness and warmth marking it as a production that gifts us with much needed light relief in these troubled times.
Beverley Knight effortlessly commands any stage she finds herself upon and we are already looking forward to seeing her perform in Sylvia later this year but equally, we can’t wait to see what West End newcomer Ntombizodwa Ndlovu does next. In the meantime, we highly recommend you head to Soho Place to enjoy this beautiful tribute to Sister Rosetta Tharpe, an unsung hero. It was like being part of the congregation at times so hopefully, like us, you’ll not be able to resist the urge to tap your feet and clap your hands. It’s encouraged.
Need to know:
- Marie and Rosetta play at Soho Place until 11 Apr 2026 | See listing
- Marie and Rosetta transfers to @sohoplace Feb 2026
- Check out our clip of Beverley Knight and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu’s surprise performance at King’s Cross St Pancras
