Displaying items by tag: Rosetta Tharp
Northlight’s 'Marie and Rosetta' - A Train Bound for Glory
I must admit, I knew nothing about Marie Knight or Rosetta Tharpe. It went over my head when they made an appearance in the critically acclaimed movie “Elvis”. Baz Luhrmann’s inclusion of Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight during the Club Handy scene with the likes of Elvis, BB King and Little Richard spoke volumes of her place in music history. Not only was Rosetta Tharpe a major influence on Elvis Presley, Jimmy Hendrix and Johnny Cash but the gospel guitarist practically discovered Little Richard, bringing him on stage for his first performance. “Marie and Rosetta” documents their lives together with a rousing, heartfelt production at Northlight Theatre.
It is 1946, Rosetta Tharpe is an explosive gospel singer and R&B performer,. After hearing Marie Knight sing, she tries to get the ingénue to create an act with her. “Sister” Rosetta needs Marie’s holier than thou credentials to “get back in the church folks’ good graces”. Her brand of gospel is infused with R&B and electric guitar riffs. She is a popular nightclub act and just as righteous as Mahalia Jackson, she just likes R&B. Marie Knight, on the other hand, is a traditional gospel singer with a powerful angelic voice. She is in awe of the older, popular Tharpe, but is unsure of the worldly music Tharpe calls gospel. This is their first rehearsal on the day of their first performance so naturally things must be sorted out before a duet can be made.
Playwright George Brant has done his research for this play with music, yet he hasn’t created a jukebox musical. There is a clear story being told here and the music is a bonus. Although, the play is heavy on exposition, it tells the beautiful relationship between these women and their influence on the music world. It is thought Marie and Rosetta’s relationship extended beyond the stage. Brant doesn’t straightwash this story. He has handled their relationship with the utmost respect. Brant does an interesting writing trick. It would be unfair to reveal it, but it has been on my mind since I saw the show. Brant has used spiritual songs like “This Train” and “Didn’t Rain”, as well as worldly songs like “I Want A Tall Skinny Papa” and “4 - 5 Times” to keep things hot.
E. Faye Butler is making a name for herself as a director. She is fresh off “Five Guys Named Mo”, a co-direction assignment with Felicia Fields at The Beverley Arts Center. It was excellent. Here, Butler is challenged with giving these characters emotional depth equal to their amazing voices. Challenge met. Butler has raised the stakes between these two women without losing the love and respect they had for each other. Their movements were instinctual, their emotions palpable.
This play is heavily dependent on excellent actresses. Not only must they sing well but they must be able to portray characters long gone from the collective psyche. Making these characters real was no easy task. Alexis J. Roston and Bethany Thomas by themselves knock your socks off, together they are a force of nature. They both engage us with their very different singing styles. Roston blesses the heavens with her symphonically precise tones. Thomas is like a hurricane, belting out the blues in all it’s various hues. They are accompanied offstage by Morgan E. Stevenson on piano and Larry Brown on guitar.
John Culbert’s scenic design coupled with the lighting design by Jared Gooding will be the subject of conversation for a while. McKinley Johnson’s costume design played a significant role. It’s always wonderful when set, lights and costumes enhance the characters presence and add depth to the overall production. Florence Walker-Harris is a joy, and her assistant director credit makes a wonderful show even more wonderful.
This play is highly recommended. Thank you Northlight Theatre for remembering these forgotten icons. You will leave the theatre joyful, filled with the knowledge of a rock and roll icons making a joyful noise to the Lord.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
When: Through August 6, 2023
Where: Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd.
Running time: 90 minutes
Tickets: $30. - $89 Student tickets $15.
Contact: northlight.org.
*Extended through August 13th
Guest’s New Andy Warhol Play A Study in Primo Theater
08 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewWhen Terry Guest left Atlanta and arrived in Chicago ten years or so ago, a bracing reality check caused the…
Intimate and Unflinching: The Last Five Years at Oil Lamp Theater
07 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewWhen Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001, it flipped the traditional rom-com…
Chicago Shakespeare's Brokeback Mountain Soars
06 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSome stories refuse to fade with time, and Brokeback Mountain is one of them. What began as a modest short…
Poetry in Motion: Joffrey's Eugene Onegin enraptures at the Lyric Opera
05 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewThere’s something magical about stories. Stories have the power to transcend time, reaching across the centuries to share their thoughts,…
Redtwist Theatre presents Anatomy of A Suicide August 12-30
04 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreProduced in partnership with JunkHeart, The Metal Shop Performance Lab is proud to announce the cast and creative team for Anatomy of a Suicide, August…
Juneteenth Prelude: Celebrating Freedom and Black Expression, an evening of entertainment and community
04 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBlack Ensemble Theater Founder and Executive Director Jackie Taylor proudly announces Black Ensemble's Juneteenth Prelude: Celebrating Freedom and Black Expression, as part of…
4 Chairs Theatre's Good People coming to Theater Wit July 17th through August 23rd
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreWelcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, this month’s…
REDTWIST THEATRE’S 21ST SEASON, “DEFIANT FEMMES,” CONTINUES WITH THE WORLD PREMIERE OF DESERTED JUNE 14 - AUGUST 2
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreAward-winning Redtwist Theatre presents Deserted, playing June 14 through August 2, a world premiere by Melanie Coffey and directed by Laura Sturm*, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn…
Black Ensemble Theater continues its 50th Anniversary Season with the revival of the hit musical revue Men of Soul
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBlack Ensemble Theater continues its 50th Anniversary Season with the return of the celebrated musical revue Men of Soul, written and directed by Artistic…
Collaboraction Theatre announces June shows and events in its new House of Belonging in Humboldt Park
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreNow fully activated, Collaboraction Theatre Company’s new House of Belonging in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave in…
keerah - Lost Between Myth and Reality
03 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewDefinition Theatre's Amplify New Play Program exists to elevate emerging voices, and Netta Walker's keerah certainly arrives with ambition. Loosely…
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre presents The Wizard of Oz July 8th through August 9th
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreMetropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce the cast…
No Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre Company Presents 'The Importance of Being Earnest' July 9-26
01 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreNo Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre is thrilled to continue its third season with The Importance of Being Earnest, written by…
Kokandy Productions Presents SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE - August 13 – November 1, 2026 at The Chopin Theatre
01 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreFollowing is critically acclaimed productions of Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, Kokandy Productions once again celebrates the great Stephen…
'The Last Word' - A Cocktail of Comedy, Mystery, and Heart
01 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSome theatrical experiences ask you to sit back and watch. "The Last Word" invites you to pull up a chair,…
Paramount’s smash hit, immersive Million Dollar Quartet returning to rock Aurora’s Stolp Island Theatre, March 4-May 31
30 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreParamount Theatre’s smash hit, immersive musical Million Dollar Quartet wrapped its spring run at downtown Aurora’s Stolp Island Theatre this…
The Second City's Laughing For All The Wrong Reasons - Paramount's Copley Theatre - Through June 20th
28 May 2026 in Now PlayingParamount Theatre is proud to host the world’s most influential name in comedy, The Second City, back for for a…
Award-winning musical Mexodus makes Chicago premiere at Studebaker Theater in November
28 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreStudebaker Theater (Erica Berger and Jacob Harvey), P3 Productions (Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin) and Audible, in collaboration with Teatro Vista…
About Face Theatre announces 2026-2027 season
28 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreAbout Face Theatre is proud to announce its 32nd season featuring the Pulitzer Prize winning musical A Strange Loop and the Midwest Premiere of i…
Announcing the 2026 Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBroadway In Chicago will bring its free annual SUMMER CONCERT to Millennium Park on Monday, August 10, 2026. Sponsored by…
YI Love Jewish and Arts Judaica Chicago Premiere of A PEOPLE at Theater Wit June 18 – July 5
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreThe South Florida based YI Love Jewish and Chicago-based Arts Judaica proudly join forces to present a limited engagement of the Chicago…
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH Coming to Chicago July 9th
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreJK Entertainment is proud to announce the final production of their inaugural season: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, the cult-classic created…
Porchlight Announces Felicia P. Fields and Anthony Rapp join its Artistic Advisory Board
27 May 2026 in Theatre BuzzAward-winning Porchlight Music Theatre announces today that the recent stars of Porchlight in Concert’s production of Follies, Tony Award-nominee Felicia P. Fields and Broadway’s…
Kokandy Productions Presents HAIR - July 2 – September 13, 2026 at The Chopin Theatre
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreHot off their record-breaking, award-winning runs of Jekyll & Hyde and Amélie, Kokandy Productions is pleased to launch its 2026 Season with the revolutionary "love-rock"…
Babes With Blades presents the world premiere premiere of yo ho., July 19 - August 29
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBabes With Blades Theatre Company’s (BWBTC) 2026 season opens with a world premiere, yo ho., by playwright SMJ, directed by JD Caudill and fight choreography by Carly…
PrideArts to present BEHIND THE CURTAIN: UNTOLD STORIES FROM CANADA’S TEAM BROADWAY on Monday, July 6th
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatrePrideArts announced today that Craig Ramsay and Catherine Wreford will bring the magic of Broadway to the Hoover-Leppen Theatre at…
Music Theater Works presents WEST SIDE STORY, August 13 - 30
24 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreMusic Theater Works is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the second production of its 2026 season, West Side…
Whammy, Indeed: Koechner’s Stand‑Up Evolves at The Den
24 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewDavid Koechner stormed into The Den Theatre’s Mainstage this weekend with the kind of unruly, big‑hearted presence that instantly reminded…
League of Chicago Theatres welcomes the summer theatre season
22 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreChicago continues to produce some of the most exciting work in the country this Summer, offering a wide variety of plays…
Spaceman: Into the Quiet Terror of the Void
22 May 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSpaceman, presented by [producingbody], touches down at The Edge Off-Broadway with a quiet, unnerving force, pulling audiences into the fragile…
Latest Articles
-
Guest’s New Andy Warhol Play A Study in Primo Theater
Written by Mitchell OldhamWhen Terry Guest left Atlanta and arrived in Chicago ten years or so ago, a bracing reality check caused the young actor to make a bold pivot. Three years of auditions and zero bites on the acting front, he turned… -
Intimate and Unflinching: The Last Five Years at Oil Lamp Theater
Written by Angelo CamposWhen Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001, it flipped the traditional rom-com musical blueprint on its head. Off came the rose-colored glasses, and what was presented was an intimate, searing, and structurally… -
Chicago Shakespeare's Brokeback Mountain Soars
Written by Wesley DavidSome stories refuse to fade with time, and Brokeback Mountain is one of them. What began as a modest short story by Annie Proulx in The New Yorker in 1997 grew into an award-winning literary work, an acclaimed film, and… -
Poetry in Motion: Joffrey's Eugene Onegin enraptures at the Lyric Opera
Written by Kendall RoyzenThere’s something magical about stories. Stories have the power to transcend time, reaching across the centuries to share their thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Tales of heartbreak, anguish, squandered youth, and missed chances written in the 1800s have a way of…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.