By Graham Hiley.
Rosetta Tharpe may not be one of the best known names in music… but she should be.
The Godmother of rock and roll inspired a string of top musicians from Elvis Presley to Johnny Cash, Chuck Berry and even the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen.
She took gospel music and gave it an electrifying secular swing, creating a whole new genre as she toured the United States, first as a solo artist and then with her protegee Marie Knight, who she plucked from obscurity in 1946.
Their remarkable and uplifting story is told in George Brant’s joyous new musical play at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre starring Olivier-award winning Beverley Knight as Rosetta and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Marie.
I never had the privilege of hearing the originals but it is hard to imagine how they could have been better than the duo who brought them to life so vividly.
When Rosetta Tharpe found Marie singing in a quartet and invited her on tour, the young unknown assumed her role would be as a backing singing or to provide harmonies.
In fact, the star wanted Marie front and centre alongside her, providing a double-edged assault on the senses which is faithfully recreated here. Beverley Knight’s powerful vocals make the hairs stand up on the back of the neck and are perfectly complemented by the equally commanding Ndlovu.
The play is set in a funeral parlour, one of the few places the black duo could bed down after being rejected by hotels. They even needed a white bus driver to buy their food in the segregated deep south.
But their problems did not end there. Rosetta came under fire from her own people for taking gospel music and her electric guitar into night clubs while facing increasing competition from her rival Mahalia Jackson.
With her career at a crossroads, the trailblazer took a gamble on the star-struck Marie creating the perfect partnership to bring a little more clubbing into church and a bit more church into the clubs.
This imagining of their first night rehearsal allows both stars to show off their full range of talents. Of course, the singing is incredible and has the intimate venue rocking to their rhythm and blues. But the pair are able to display their acting ability too.
Knight has just the right amount of sass and wit as she poignantly portrays Rosetta with a beautiful blend of comic timing and physicality as she encourages Marie to get more swing in her hips – and her life.
Alongside her, Ndlovu perfectly plays the fawning fan girl desperate for stardom but worried not only about leaving her children but also the disapproving reaction of her straight-laced church community for taking gospel music into the night clubs.
The chemistry between the two is plain to see. The duo are spell-binding even though the script feels a little plodding at times before rushing through Rosetta’s journey to an unmarked grave with almost indecent haste.
Issues such as racism and religion could be explored in more depth, as could the singers’ back stories and personal tragedies. But that is more than compensated for by the stunning singing which makes this show such a triumph.
Backed by an excellent four-piece band, Rosetta “warms up” with a rousing rendition of This Train, which surely provided inspiration for Springsteen’s classic Land of Hope and Dreams, with both songs featuring a spiritual journey to salvation. As relevant today as it was in 1946.
Marie then shows her own vocal talents with Were You There before the pair get the place rocking with songs such as Tall Skinny Papa, Four or Five Times, Rock Me and Didn’t it Rain which gives free rein to Beverley Knight’s powerful vocals.
This is more than just a great night out – it is an important tribute to Sister Rosetta who finally got the recognition her trailblazing talents deserved when she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence in 2018 – 45 years after her death at the age of just 58.
Thankfully her music lives on and is given a new lease of life in this vibrant production which runs at Chichester’s Minerva Theatre until Saturday July 26. cft.org.uk/events/marie-and-rosetta
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