Beverley Knight confirmed for Chichester Festival Theatre’s 2025 summer season
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Knight, whose many West End performances include Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Sylvia (for which she won an Olivier Award) and Sister Act, will play Rosetta Tharpe in Marie and Rosetta by George Brant, directed by Monique Touko, a co-production with Rose Theatre running in Chichester’s Minerva Theatre from June 25-July 26. The rest of the season will be announced on February 13.
Brant’s play, which will be a UK premiere, tells the true story of American singer and songwriter Rosetta Tharpe and her protégé Marie Knight. Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the roof-raising ‘godmother of rock ‘n’ roll’, influenced countless musicians from Elvis to Johnny Cash. The CFT is promising a sparkling, intimate portrait of Rosetta and her beloved singing partner Marie Knight, restoring “these forgotten musical heroines to the spotlight as one of the most remarkable and revolutionary duos in music history.”
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Hide AdMississippi, 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. George Brant is an award-winning American playwright whose work includes Grounded (Fringe First and Off-West End Awards).
Beverley Knight said: “It is a great honour 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. This will be my first role in a professional play; I have performed many times in plays at an amateur level and I’m so thrilled that I get to tell HERstory as my debut. 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”.
Monique Touko, director, added: "It is truly an honour to stage the UK premiere of Marie and Rosetta by George Brant. Returning to both Rose and Chichester with this needed and powerful story feels very timely. This play allows us to not only celebrate the incredible lives of two trailblazing black female musicians, but to immerse ourselves in their world, blending song and spectacle to bring their legacy to life. We’ll zoom in on the moments of their lives, big and small, and amplify their voices—both literally and metaphorically. It’s a privilege and a responsibility to depict these women in their full glory, ensuring they receive the recognition they so deeply deserve for their monumental contributions to music and culture.”
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Hide AdJustin Audibert, artistic director of Chichester Festival Theatre, said: “We are delighted to be co-producing this wonderful play, and welcoming the incomparable Beverley Knight and director Monique Touko to Chichester. It’s a joy to renew our relationship with Rose Theatre, with whom we’ve recently co-produced Headlong’s A View from the Bridge, and also hosted Monique’s superb production The Boy at the Back of the Class. We know that Chichester audiences will relish this remarkable story.”
Marie and Rosetta runs at the Rose Theatre in Kingston from May 2-24. Booking details for CFT’s Festival 2025 will be announced on February 13. CFT Friends and Champions priority booking will open on Saturday, February 22 online and Tuesday, February 25 by phone and in person. General booking opens online on Saturday, March 1, and by phone and in person from Tuesday, March 4. Visit cft.org.uk for further details.
ETT (English Touring Theatre) is a co-producer on the production.
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