Chicago Tribune
- Highly Recommended
"...From "Tina - The Tina Turner Musical" to "Personality: The Lloyd Price Musical," Chicago audiences have had several opportunities this year to delve into the stories of Black pioneers of rock 'n' roll. Currently playing at Northlight Theatre, "Marie and Rosetta" dials back the clock even earlier to the 1940s, when gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, known as the "Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll," was shredding on the guitar and singing soulful duets with Marie Knight."
Chicago Sun Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Directed by E. Faye Butler, playwright George Brant's two-hander features one powerhouse number after another, each one building on the previous until the Northlight Theatre production seems to be vibrating with a joyful noise."
Chicago Reader
- Highly Recommended
"...George Brant's Marie and Rosetta, now at Northlight in a production directed by E. Faye Butler, is a tribute to the contributions of Black women in gospel, rhythm and blues, and rock, as embodied by Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight-neither of whom are as nearly well known as they deserve to be (even though Tharpe, whose guitar playing inspired everyone from Elvis Presley to Jimi Hendrix, was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018). It's a show that follows a rather familiar dramaturgical path, but that narrative familiarity doesn't breed contempt. Rather, it's a framework for showcasing two mind-blowingly great performances by Alexis J. Roston as Marie and Bethany Thomas as Rosetta."
Let's Play Theatrical Reviews
- Highly Recommended
"...There are only a few times when you will witness a theatrical performance that is so captivating and enthralling that it will knock your socks off. A performance that will tug at your soul, bring laughter and tears, and have you walking away feeling historically blessed. With the brilliant direction of E. Faye Butler, Northlight Theatre has captured this in their current play, Marie AND Rosetta. Known as the "Godmother of Rock n Roll" and among her generation's greatest gospel singers, Sister Rosetta Tharpe's (born Rosetta Nubin) boisterous sound and electrifying abilities with a guitar brought in a new, somewhat controversial gospel, spiritual sound laced with the blues that differed from accepted talented singing like Clara Ward and Mahalia Jackson."
Around The Town Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...The story superbly directed by E. Faye Butler ,in her directing debut, tells the history of Sister Rosetta Tharpe (also known as "The Godmother of Rock 'n Roll") played to perfection by Bethany Thomas. During this 110 minutes (no intermission) story, we learn about this woman and her protege, Marie Knight (deftly handled by Alexis J. Rosten.)"
WTTW
- Highly Recommended
"...And what have you got? “Marie and Rosetta,” a nearly two-hour show (with no intermissions) that captures the evolution of these women’s musical styles and personal relationship in the 1940s, and that kept the audience at Northlight Theatre tapping its feet on opening night. Supplying the superb accompaniment for the two actresses — who only appear to play their instruments and do so with impressive believability — are music director/pianist Morgan E. Stevenson and guitarist Larry Brown. They may remain unseen but are ideally heard from offstage throughout."
Chicago Theatre Review
- Recommended
"...In George Brant's biographical one-act we are introduced to two of the unfortunately lesser-known pioneers of this mixture of gospel and swing rhythms. Rosetta grew up in Chicago, while Marie was a New Jersey girl. In 1946 Sister Rosetta Tharpe heard Marie Knight's sweet voice while singing with a quartet at a gospel concert. Quickly Rosetta snatched up this talented young woman before her rival, the more famous Mahalia Jackson, could offer Miss Knight a contract. The two became musical partners and devoted friends until Rosetta passed away in 1973."
Buzz Center Stage
- Highly Recommended
"...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."
Third Coast Review
- Highly Recommended
"...Thomas and Roston are perfectly paired with Marie and Rosetta. There is true chemistry between the two actors. Thomas gives the role of Tharpe a hard edge that comes from having to survive on the road in the era of Jim Crow. Black people traveling anywhere in that era relied on a network of Good Samaritans who gave them lodging, Sometimes, it’s a map hidden in a Bible like my Granny’s with the route traced in deep ink to avoid certain states altogether. Tharpe hired a White bus driver to be able to buy food from places she could not enter. That network was an extension of the Underground Railroad that carried over post-enslavement."
Life and Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Northlight's Marie and Rosetta is going to be the hottest ticket in Chicago. It features two epic performances that will literally make your skin tingle and leave you mesmerized. It features flawless direction by E. Faye Butler and phenomenal music direction by Morgan E. Stevenson."
Chicago Culture Authority
- Recommended
"...Sister Rosetta Tharpe, known as the Godmother of Rock 'n' Roll, deserves promotion to, and respect from, modern audiences. Marie and Rosetta, the one-act two-hander now onstage at Northlight Theatre, showcases her singing and electric guitar playing to great effect, thanks to Bethany Thomas, who perfectly captures the joyful, subversive performance style that enabled Tharpe to walk the tightrope between church and secular music as she barreled down the gospel highway with plenty of detours into high-society nightclubs."
Evanston Roundtable
- Highly Recommended
"...But the power and appeal of Marie and Rosetta is in the concert performances of the two characters: Tharpe is played by Bethany Thomas and Marie Knight by Alexis J. Roston."
NewCity Chicago
- Highly Recommended
"...No head mics were needed for these powerful singers. Their performances were so moving that during a scene in which a distraught Marie struggles to play the piano, an audience member called out "Take your time, now." As if we were really there, in that Deep South funeral home seventy-seven years ago. It's a performance full of joy."
