Video: MARIE AND ROSETTA in Rehearsal at Milwaukee Rep

Get a preview of Marie and Rosetta from Milwaukee Rep favorites Bethany Thomas and Alexis J Roston as they rehearse the soulful renditions of Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s hit songs like “Strange Things Happening Every Day” and “I Want a Tall Skinny Papa.”

 Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Marie and Rosetta, the unsung story of the Rock ‘n’ Roll’s roof-raising soul sisters, October 22 – December 22, 2024, in the Stiemke Studio.

Written by acclaimed playwright George Brant (Grounded) and directed E. Faye Butler, a Nine-time Jeff Award-winning director who was recently inducted into the Women in the Arts Museum in Washington, D.C., Marie and Rosetta features “two mind-blowingly great performances” (Chicago Reader) by Rep favorites Alexis J Roston (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill; Nina Simone: Four Women) as Marie Knight and Wisconsin native Bethany Thomas (Ragtime, Hedwig and the Angry Inch) as Sister Rosetta Tharpe.  

Bethany Thomas is currently nominated for a Chicago Jeff Award for her portrayal of Sister Rosetta Tharpe in the Northlight Theatre production last summer where she brought the house down night after night.
 
Before Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and Jimi Hendrix, Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s groundbreaking blend of gospel music, swing rhythms and fierce electric guitar made her an unconventional music superstar in the 1930s and 40s. Acclaimed writer George Brant (Grounded) unearths the unsung roots of the fearless “Godmother of Rock ’n’ Roll” and her wide-eyed protégée Marie Knight, as they begin their revolutionary ascent to become one of the most influential teams in music history.
 
Deemed “Dramatically rich, musically irresistible with one powerhouse number after another” by the Chicago Sun Times, Marie and Rosetta is directed by E. Faye Butler (Nine-time Jeff Award Winner) whose personal history runs deep with Sister Rosetta as she is the god daughter of American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, a contemporary of Sister Rosetta.  

The production features set design by John Culbert (The Triumph of Love, Court Theatre and Jeff Award), costume design by McKinley Johnson (Ain’t Misbehavin’: The Fats Waller Musical, Drury Lane Theatre), lighting design by Jared Gooding (Songs for Nobodies, Nunsense, Milwaukee Rep), sound design by Rick Sims (Moby Dick, Lookingglass Theatre), stage managed by Jade Bruno, featuring music direction and keys played by Morgan E. Stevenson and Benjamin Oglesby-Davis on guitar.
  
Marie and Rosetta runs October 22 – December 22, 2024, in the Stiemke Studio. Opening night is set for Friday, October 25 at 8pm. To purchase tickets to go to www.MilwaukeeRep.com, call the Ticket Office at 414-224-9490 or visit in person at 108 E Wells Street in Downtown Milwaukee.

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