Marie & Rosetta Tickets

A joyful exploration of music as faith, rebellion and the evolution of sound across generations. As someone who has been hyper-fixated on gospel music since obsessively asking to rent the Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit VHS every weekend since I was six; tricking my husband into traipsing around the Mississippi Blues Trail (on the promise of ‘really good barbecue’) and making a 200-mile detour / musical pilgrimage just to visit Al Green’s Tabernacle Church in Memphis last summer, it’s safe to say I went into @sohoplace with sky-high expectations. It’s also safe to say that I wasn’t disappointed. Set in Mississippi in the 1940s, George Brant's play unfolds over one night of rehearsal as Sister Rosetta Tharpe (played brilliantly by Soul Queen Beverley Knight) prepares for her first tour with young gospel singer Marie Knight (brought to life by the insanely talented Ntombizodwa Ndlovu). As a singer-guitarist equally fluent in gospel, blues and jazz, Tharpe embodied a distinctly American artistic tension between the sacred and the secular. She fully saw gospel and blues as two sides of the same musical coin and felt perfectly at home fusing them together both in Sunday service and in Saturday night juke joints - salvation met with the swagger of an electric guitar to create a sound which, for Tharpe, did not need to be confined within church walls despite what many conservative voices in the congregation had to say about it at the time.

With International Women’s Day coming up, it feels fitting to celebrate how musical theatre has long been a space where women claim centre stage, emotionally, politically, and vocally. From intimate moments of shared understanding to bold declarations of independence, some of the most memorable musical theatre songs are driven by women lifting one another up, challenging expectations, and telling their own stories on their own terms. These aren’t always traditional duets, but they are moments where female voices meet; in harmony, solidarity, or defiance, and that’s often where the real magic of theatre lives. Wicked – “For Good” Few musical theatre songs capture female friendship quite like For Good. Sung by Elphaba and Glinda in Wicked, it’s a moment of reflection rather than spectacle — two women acknowledging how deeply they’ve shaped one another. There’s no rivalry here, no need to win. Instead, the song celebrates growth, empathy, and the idea that being changed by another woman is something to treasure, not fear. It’s quietly revolutionary, and a huge part of why Wicked continues to resonate so strongly. Marie and Rosetta – “Up Above My Head” Long before rock and roll had a name — and long before Elvis — Sister Rosetta Tharpe was already changing music forever. A gospel singer who plugged in an electric guitar, sped everything up, and blurred the lines between sacred and secular, Rosetta helped invent a sound that the world would later credit to men. Marie and Rosetta places her alongside Marie Knight, a more traditional gospel singer, and Up Above My Head becomes a joyful celebration of partnership and possibility. Together, they embody female empowerment through risk, collaboration, and unapologetic musical ambition. The Color Purple – “Sister” / “I’m Here” At the heart of The Color Purple is the idea that survival is easier — and stronger — when women stand together. Whether through the communal energy of Sister or the emotional release of I’m Here, the show centres female resilience, self-worth, and solidarity. These moments may not always be structured as duets, but they are powered by connection: women recognising themselves in one another and refusing to stay silent any longer. Six - “No Way”  Catherine of Aragon’s defiant anthem kicks off SIX with a refusal to be quietly rewritten. Cast aside for a younger wife, she refuses to accept the narrative she’s been given, asserting her intelligence, resilience and right to be remembered. Set against the stories of Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr, the song establishes the show’s central idea: these women were more than footnotes in Henry VIII’s life — they had voices, agency and stories worth reclaiming.

Marie & Rosetta arrives in the West End this February for a limited season, bringing to life the electrifying story of gospel trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her young singing partner Marie Knight. This critically acclaimed production combines history, music, and performance to tell a story that changed the course of popular music forever. What is Marie & Rosetta About? Set in Mississippi, 1946, Marie & Rosetta explores the unlikely partnership between Sister Rosetta Tharpe — the “Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll” — and the classically trained gospel singer Marie Knight. Known for her pioneering electric guitar style and joyful stage presence, Rosetta pushes Marie beyond the safe, sacred walls of church singing and into a bold, rhythm-driven sound that helped reshape gospel, blues, and early rock ’n’ roll. The play examines the tension between tradition and transformation, devotion and showmanship, as these two women navigate music, mentorship, and the societal challenges of the segregated American South. Marie & Rosetta isn’t just a story about music — it’s about courage, creativity, and the spark that set the stage for modern popular music.

The play Marie & Rosetta brings to life one of the most influential — and often overlooked — partnerships in music history. Set in Mississippi in 1946, it follows gospel trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her young singing partner Marie Knight on the eve of a southern tour that would help reshape the sound of popular music. Their story isn’t just theatrical — it sits at the very crossroads where gospel, blues and the early spark of rock ’n’ roll collided. Mississippi, 1946: A Sound on the Brink of Change In the 1940s, Mississippi was a cultural hotbed for Black American music. Gospel rang out from churches on Sundays, while blues (and rhythm and blues) pulsed through juke joints and radio stations the rest of the week. Segregation defined the social landscape, but music offered a rare space where tradition and rebellion could meet. This is the world Marie & Rosetta drops audiences into — a moment when sacred songs were starting to take on a new, electrifying edge, and when the idea of taking gospel beyond the church walls was still deeply controversial.

Few performers shine quite like Beverley Knight. A powerhouse vocalist with a career spanning over three decades, she has become one of the most respected voices in British soul music and a treasured star of the West End stage. Early Life & Musical Roots Born on 22 March 1973 in Wolverhampton to Jamaican parents, Knight grew up in a deeply musical household shaped by church, gospel, and soul. Raised in a Pentecostal family, her love for singing began in the church choir. By her early teens she was writing her own songs, and by 17 she was pursuing a professional music career.  A Star of the West End Beverley Knight has become one of theatre’s most thrilling leading ladies. She starred as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard, Felicia in Memphis, Grizabella in Cats, and led The Drifters Girl in 2021. In 2023, she won the Olivier Award for her role in Sylvia

Following acclaimed runs at the Rose Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and ETT, Marie and Rosetta.will open at @sohoplace for a strictly limited season from 28 February to 11 April 2026.. Olivier Award-winner Beverley Knight reprises her role as the trailblazing Sister Rosetta Tharpe, joined once again by Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Marie Knight, marking her West End debut. Directed by Monique Touko, this intimate and uplifting production celebrates the godmother of rock ’n’ roll and the young gospel singer who became her most trusted partner.