Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the roof-raising ‘godmother of rock ‘n’ roll’, influenced countless musicians from Elvis to Johnny Cash. This sparkling, intimate portrait of Rosetta and her beloved singing partner, Marie Knight, restores these forgotten musical heroines to the spotlight as one of the most remarkable and revolutionary duos in music history.
Mississippi, 1946. Sister Rosetta has changed the face of gospel music with her exuberant, electric guitar-playing style. Shunned by straitlaced church folk for performing in nightclubs and glorying in rhythm and blues, she’s persuaded the saintly young singer Marie to join her on a tour of the segregated southern States. But first she has to convert Marie’s pure Sunday sound into something that has just a little more swing…
Featuring a wealth of joyous rock and gospel hits including Didn’t It Rain and Peace in the Valley, the show will feature live musicians accompanying Olivier Award-winning West End star Beverley Knight (Memphis, The Drifters Girl, Sylvia, Sister Act) as Rosetta Tharpe.
Joining Beverley Knight is Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Marie Knight. Her recent theatre credits include Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, The Space Between Us, Mixtape, Nothing, and The Mountain Top (Royal Exchange Theatre).
Captioned:
BSL:
Audio Described:
2hrs. Incl. 1 interval.
Ages 12+.
28th February, 2026
11th April, 2026
By: George Brant
Director: Monique Touko
Cast list: Beverley Knight, Ntombizodwa Ndlovu
Railway station: Euston
Bus numbers: (Tottenham Ct Rd Station) 7, 10, 14, 24, 29, 73, 134, 242; (New Oxford St) 1, 8, 25, 55, 98, 176, 390
Night bus numbers: (Tottenham Ct Rd Station) 7, 10, 14, 24, 134, 242, N7, N29, N35, N68, N73, N253, N279; (New Oxford St) 25, 176, 390, N1, N8, N41, N55, N98, N171, N207
Car park: YMCA Great Russell Street (2mins), Holborn Selkirk House Museum Street (5mins)
Directions from tube: The theatre can be seen from the station, on the corner of the crossroads between Tottenham Court Road and Oxford Street.
Day of week | Matinee | Evening |
---|---|---|
Monday | - | 7:30 PM |
Tuesday | - | 7:30 PM |
Wednesday | - | 7:30 PM |
Thursday | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
Friday | - | - |
Saturday | 2:30 PM | 7:30 PM |
Sunday | - | - |
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