"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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"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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