George Brant’s new play is directed by Neil Pepe at Atlantic Theater Company.
Atlantic Theater Company celebrated the opening night of George Brant's Marie and Rosetta on September 12. Directed by Neil Pepe, the show stars Kecia Lewis (Leap of Faith) and Rebecca Naomi Jones (Hedwig and the Angry Inch).
Marie and Rosetta is described as follows: "A huge influence on Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix, Sister Rosetta Tharpe (Lewis) was a legend in her time, bringing fierce guitar-playing and swing to gospel music. Tharpe was the queen of 'race records' in the '30s and '40s, a woman who played guitar as passionately as Clapton, who performed mornings at churches and evenings at the Cotton Club, who was a big enough star to fill a baseball stadium for her third wedding, but ended up buried in an unmarked grave in Philadelphia. Marie and Rosetta chronicles Sister Rosetta's first rehearsal with a young protégée, Marie Knight (Jones), as they prepare to embark on a tour that would establish them as one of the great duet teams in musical history."
The production features scenic design by Riccardo Hernández, costume design by Dede Ayite, lighting design by Christopher Akerlind, sound design by Steve Canyon Kennedy, and music direction by Jason Michael Webb.