Beverley Knight lifts Marie and Rosetta at Soho Place

Marie and Rosetta | @ Soho Place London until 11th April

The Gospel queen rises again. Beverley Knight dazzles with powerhouse vocals that carry the night, even when the script plays second fiddle.

Some stories endure because they resonate through song. Marie and Rosetta resurrects gospel-rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe on stage. Her influence on early rock and gospel has since been formally recognised, including her induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

George Brant’s 2016 play, presented here via the Rose Theatre in Kingston and Chichester Festival Theatre, is set in Mississippi in 1946, on the eve of Rosetta’s big concert tour. It follows Sister Rosetta (the self-styled “Godmother of Rock ‘n’ Roll”) and Marie Knight, a young gospel singer. Beverley Knight, an Olivier Award-winning West End star, brings Rosetta’s spirit to life, and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu matches her step for step as Marie. The story unfolds in a segregated-era funeral parlour, one of the few places Southern Black musicians could safely stay, as the two women share meals, songs and stories before the show.

The production’s central idea is to fuse biography with the immediacy of live performance. Lily Arnold’s spare set evokes a simple Mississippi parlour. A chair, a guitar case and a backdrop suggest the old funeral home dressing room. The focus remains on the performers. Musical Director Liam Godwin’s trio (guitar, piano and drums) sits in the corners of the auditorium, visible but delivering a rich band sound. When Knight belts out a gospel number, the effect is electrifying.

Beverley Knight truly carries the show, embodying Rosetta’s charisma by stamping her feet in gospel rhythms, flicking her arms and pushing every high note to the rafters. Her singing is raw and commanding. However, it is a curious decision that, while we see her guitar case and amplifier, she never actually plays the guitar, nor does Marie play the piano as one might expect.

The script is the production’s weakest link. Brant’s dialogue often tells more than it dramatises, with Rosetta and Marie sometimes simply stating facts to each other instead of revealing those connections organically. This is very much a play with songs, and as thrilling as the musical numbers are, it never quite reaches the dramatic depth it promises.

Ntombizodwa Ndlovu complements her beautifully. Marie begins shy and reverent, and Ndlovu’s clear, controlled voice reflects that innocence. As the story progresses, Marie gains confidence, and Ndlovu’s tone brightens accordingly. Together, the pair have genuine chemistry. When Rosetta tells Marie to “loosen up”, it feels playful and sincere. In real life, these two were lovers, although this is not apparent in this particular production.

This production certainly honours Rosetta’s legacy with its bold, joyous music and the chemistry of its two leads, admirably celebrating two trailblazing women who deserve the spotlight.

I love plays and musicals that educate as much as they entertain, and it is laudable that this production attempts to cast fresh light on these forgotten pioneers. Ultimately, this is a rather sad story. Rosetta suffered a stroke at 55 after performing a sold-out stadium concert in Copenhagen in 1970 and died two years later. In the end, only enough mourners attended her memorial service to half fill the church, and she was buried in an unmarked grave, not a fitting end for someone who was such a strong influence on Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry.

In this case, sometimes the music does all the talking. If you like gospel belted out to the rafters, this is for you. If you want an illuminating, well-written play, sadly, it’s not.

Marie and Rosetta is driven by Beverley Knight’s stunning vocal performance. She and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu fill the stage with fiery gospel and early rock ’n’ roll songs, making for an uplifting night. The music truly raises the roof, but is let down by a script that is heavy on exposition and lacking depth and nuance.

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