The Godmother of Rock and Roll Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her protege Marie Knight are the stars of Marie and Rosetta, a stunning drama with fiery music. This almost-forgotten duo influenced Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jimi Hendrix many more rockers. Chuck Berry said that most of his career was doing a Sister Rosetta Tharpe imitation when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The play chronicles her first rehearsal with a young protégée, Marie Knight, as they prepare to embark on a tour that would establish them as one of the great duos in musical history in the 1940s.
Marie (Jaela Cheeks-Lomax) is invited by Rosetta (Cherish Love) to audition for her upcoming tour, and the young girl who backed the gospel star Mahalia Jackson clings to her church singing. Rosetta attempts to get her to move, to feel the music in a different way — something more joyous, adding vocal punches, and uptempo piano playing. It takes a while, but the youngster begins to open up and gain confidence in her abilities. Songs like “This Train,” “There’ll Be Peace in the Valley for Me,” and traditional African American spirituals like “Didn’t it Rain?” bring the women together in the funeral parlor where they rehearse. Tharpe, known for her amazing acoustic and electric guitar work, introduces the girl to a whole new level of music as she plays the blues. While the two performed for only a few years together, they remained friends up to the death of Rosetta in 1973.
This is a dynamic hour and a half of music, as both Love and Cheeks-Lomax have serious pipes that punch and roll over the audience. The emotional to-and-fro feels authentic, especially when the more experienced Rosetta urges Marie to begin believing in herself and do something different. Director Cristina Angeles makes good use of the spare set as well as the talent of the actors.
If you want to know a little more about the history of rock, its foundations in gospel, blues, rhythm and blues, and traditional African American music, take in a performance of Marie and Rosetta at the IRT through Nov. 23. Visit irtlive.com or call 317-635-5252 to make reservations.
