Marie and Rosetta NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (169)
See it if Those two women can sing!!! Wow! The thin-ish story is actually just the right size. The acting and singing is it. Superb. Moving.
Don't see it if You don't like bluesy gospel. But I saw give it a try. The performances shine.
See it if you like music and a true story
Don't see it if you don't like above
See it if you want to see a different kind of musical beautifully sung
Don't see it if you don't like gospel music
See it if You want to be transported to somewhere you've never been. A funeral home in the Deep South with a pair of wonderful Gospel singers.
Don't see it if You don't like Gospel or you sislike shows With a confusing time line.
See it if You have not seen a show that really moves you with singing and a touching story.
Don't see it if Are not a fan of gospel*ish great singing and moving stories.
See it if you want to see a wonderful performance from two talented actors and two talented musicians.
Don't see it if you don't like to hear signing in a play.
See it if You enjoy character-driven stories and appreciate women's friendship and music. You are a music fan (it's gorgeous!)
Don't see it if You don't enjoy semi-musical formats. The songs don't drive action (as in traditional musicals) but serve to build the women's relationship.
See it if You like to musicals with a little bit of gospel. You like a historical story told by ones memory in a unique way
Don't see it if If you dont like musicals or gospel or history
Critic Reviews (31)
"Even if 'Marie and Rosetta' occasionally gets grounded in clunky exposition, this 90-minute piece soars whenever these ultra-talented ladies get to sing. The 'score' is comprised primarily of real-life gospel standards and, regardless of your religion or belief system, anyone with an appreciation for great music will end up in heaven during these passages...Director Neil Pepe has guided the proceedings with a smooth hand."
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"It emerges as a thin if likable drama that enables us to enjoy the main attractions, the terrific singing by Kecia Lewis as Tharpe and Rebecca Naomi Jones as Knight...The dialogue between the women can get sharp at times...But the singing is the real treat...Directed with feeling by Neil Pepe, it is an impressive tribute to the two singers who contributed so much to the musical world with their creativity, performing and recording."
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"There’s a sea change. We’re not exactly where or when we thought we were. The idea is good, the transition bumpy, dialogue less secure. 'Marie and Rosetta' is musically entertaining and well written to that point. Both actresses do a fine job, with Rebecca Naomi Jones excelling in the outsized, yet devout role...Director Neil Pepe does an adroit job of giving the women small natural business and of indicating changes in their relationship...Pacing is deft."
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"George Brant's two-hander purports to tell the story of that relationship. I say purports because his plot is thin, and his story employs a lot of poetic license...But none of that matters because what gives this show its heart, and yes, its soul, is the music. There are few things more glorious than a well-sung gospel song and this show has a bunch of them. It also has two superb performances from Rebecca Naomi Jones as Marie and Kecia Lewis as Rosetta."
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"In director Neil Pepe’s sly, expert chamber musical, Lewis and Jones don’t just portray the women on what appears to be their first rehearsal...These actors also sing, whisper and wail the wonderful songs — including 'This Train' and 'Down by the Riverside' — and are so convincing at the piano and guitar that it’s hard to believe they are not playing. Fairness demands that credit goes to Felicia Collins and Deah Harriott behind the scrim."
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"A brash and swaggering new play with music from the Atlantic...Stage vet Kecia Lewis is wised-up, earthy and soulful as the flamboyant performer who has both a matronly concern for her new charge and something of a sensual draw to her, as well. Rebecca Naomi Jones, as Marie, is initially timid, but Sister Rosetta draws her out, helping her walk a line between faith and seductiveness."
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"Both actresses have excellent singing voices and make full use of them…The only shortcoming in the work comes with the story itself...While the story provides a nice introduction to who these people were, it never really goes below the surface in examining the life of either. These quibbles aside, 'Marie and Rosetta' offers both a tuneful, entertaining time at the theater and a look at two interesting figures in 20th-century music."
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"A near pitch-perfect, smart, toe-tapping bio-play…I might have given this show 10 out of 10 if the actors actually played the guitar and piano…However, the two actual musicians were superb! In an incredibly surprising and clever twist at the end, we fast forward. Touching, tender, and a complete closure to the trajectory of the story, which brings it all back to the beginning and suddenly every little detail in the beginning now makes sense."
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