Marie and Rosetta
By George Brant; Directed by Wendy Knox
Music Direction by Gary D. Hines;
On our Proscenium Stage through Dec 30, 2018
TICKETS: parksquaretheatre.org or call 651.291.7005
Bringing fierce guitar playing and swing to gospel music, Sister Rosetta Tharpe influenced rock musicians from Elvis to Jimi Hendrix and Ray Charles. The story begins in a funeral parlor in Mississippi, as Rosetta and her young protégé, Marie Knight, prepare for a tour that will establish them as a great musical duo. Hear renditions of spirituals like “Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?” and “Sit Down,” to distinctly non-religious songs like “I Want a Tall Skinny Papa.”
This joyful, roof-raising play with music is the fictional story of the first night that gospel legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe met her protégée Marie Knight, and the characters deal with racial prejudice, marital strife and other issues that are more suitable for teenage and adult audiences.
RUNNING TIME: The show runs approximately 100 minutes. There is no intermission.
ADVISORY: Marie and Rosetta contains mild adult language and mature themes.