Marie and Rosetta
Closed 1h 30m
Marie and Rosetta
85

Marie and Rosetta NYC Reviews and Tickets

85%
(169 Ratings)
Positive
97%
Mixed
2%
Negative
1%
Members say
Great singing, Entertaining, Great acting, Absorbing, Delightful

About the Show

Atlantic Theater Company presents the world premiere of George Brant's play about music legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe's collaboration with Marie Knight, which culminated in a career-defining tour.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (169)

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115 Reviews | 35 Followers
100
Great acting, Great singing, Masterful, Must see, Profound

See it if Absolute masterpiece. One of the greatest pieces of theatre I have ever seen. Powerful, entertaining, a beautiful production. Go see it!

Don't see it if You don't like theatre that highlights the black experience in music and in America.

159 Reviews | 20 Followers
100
Absorbing, Entertaining, Great singing, Great acting, Intelligent

See it if The singing is ABOVE PAR,those ladies know how to really rock a room and stir emotion within....

Don't see it if You don't want to have a most enjoyable experience!

441 Reviews | 88 Followers
99
Entertaining, Exquisite, Absorbing, Clever, Enchanting

See it if Anyone would love this musical , especially if you like history.

Don't see it if If you only like heavy dramas.

52 Reviews | 12 Followers
98
Absorbing, Great acting, Great singing

See it if you want to hear some righteous roots of rock-n-roll. from behind Elvis' guitar

Don't see it if you don't wanna know the story behind the music

56 Reviews | 14 Followers
97
Absorbing, Great acting, Great singing, Must see

See it if you want to see a Master Class in Acting...these two women are amazing and should not be missed. They sing well too...time flies ...see it.

Don't see it if You don't like Gospel music that swings, or you hate powerful voices. You don't like shows without an intermission...none here, none needed Read more

228 Reviews | 36 Followers
96
Absorbing, Great singing, Thought-provoking, Interesting story, Wonderful songs

See it if you love musicals. See it is you want to learn about a wonderful talent.

Don't see it if you aren't interested in hearing two terrific voices.

254 Reviews | 138 Followers
96
Exquisite, Funny, Great acting, Great singing, Great staging

See it if You enjoy exulting performances with pathos.

Don't see it if You hate gospel music

263 Reviews | 108 Followers
96
Must see, Entertaining, Funny, Great acting, Great singing

See it if You want to see masterful performances that pull you into the story from the beginning. The music is amazing and both sing their faces off.

Don't see it if You're looking for something more than a slice of life play about two women.

Critic Reviews (31)

The New York Times
September 14th, 2016

"Music, more than the rather slender threads of bio-drama, forms the spine and provides the allure in ‘Marie and Rosetta'…Fortunately, there is plenty of music to divert us when the dialogue dawdles. Both Ms. Lewis and Ms. Jones have beautiful voices, and they do blend smoothly...Because the music is roof-raising, I would have preferred to tip the balance more toward songs...‘Marie and Rosetta’ sometimes sags, but when it sings, it really swings."
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Time Out New York
September 14th, 2016

"George Brant’s drama, unsentimentally directed by Neil Pepe, is peppered with evocative detail, and it incorporates its biographical material gracefully...Rosetta’s incipient mentorship of Marie is capably rendered...Lewis and Jones sing superbly…As the play goes on, the dialogue starts to seem more and more like segues between musical numbers, but it’s hard to complain. You don’t have to be religious to know when you’re in the presence of glory."
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New York Magazine / Vulture
September 14th, 2016

"The scenes are basically just a delivery system for the music, which is only sufficient because the songs are so ecstatically exciting. On the other hand, songs this good set a high bar, and the play leaves you wishing to have understood more, and believed more, about these women and their times than its jukebox structure permits. Brant seems to write from index cards...Kecia Lewis takes the role of Tharpe by the neck and shakes it for all it’s worth."
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Variety
September 14th, 2016

"Playwright George Brant has written a perfunctory script about the first rehearsal of this legendary team, but since the biographical details are so thin, it’s all about the glorious voices…As a story framework, it’s corny as hell, but it works well enough to support the singers and their celestial voices. Lewis is a force of nature, and when she unleashes her powerhouse voice on rockin’ versions of gospel classics the church roof elevates."
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The Hollywood Reporter
September 14th, 2016

"As theater, 'Marie and Rosetta' makes a great concert…The scenario ends up being little more than an excuse for Lewis and Jones to perform…The two actresses deliver a series of thrilling vocals that threaten to tear the roof off the theater. But for all the excitement both the music and the terrific performances provide, the evening gets bogged down in dialogue filled with expository details that fails to impart any deep insight into the real-life figures."
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NY1
September 28th, 2016

"The story of Rosetta and her stage partner Marie is brought to vivid life, but their music is what steals the show...The exposition is rather clunky. But the performances are remarkable...Rosetta was a child prodigy on the gospel circuit and Lewis sings her like the second coming. Rebecca Naomi Jones is equally gifted as the younger Marie...Director Pepe wisely allows the music to carry the day. With this much talent, when these ladies get cooking, it's a religious experience."
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Theatermania
September 14th, 2016

"A delightful new play…A not-to-be-missed example of what the theater can do with music…’Marie and Rosetta’ smartly incorporates music without falling into the traps that so often accompany contemporary musical theater…The songs come naturally and regularly add to the emotional resonance of the play...An intimate story about the relationship between two women, and the way they lift each other up through music. It's enough to make the theater faithful stand up and shout 'Hallelujah!'"
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BroadwayWorld
September 20th, 2016

"A swift and enjoyable bio-drama…Rebecca Naomi Jones and Kecia Lewis are both fine singing actors who are giving excellent performances…While a dramatic twist at the end doesn't quite land, it works as a vehicle to provide information about what happened to the two later in life. If ‘Marie and Rosetta’ is somewhat lacking in storytelling, the excitement of watching Jones and Lewis whole-heartedly present a taste of their artistry is well worth a visit."
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