MARIE & ROSETTA To Be Staged At Asolo Repertory Theatre
Chronicling the first rehearsal between Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight, performances take place May 8-31.
Asolo Repertory Theatre has announced the cast and creative team for upcoming regional premiere of Marie and Rosetta, written by George Brant and directed by E. Faye Butler.
Before Elvis picked up a guitar, before Jimi Hendrix rewrote what the instrument could do, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. A fierce guitarist, electrifying performer, and transformative figure in American music, Tharpe earned her place in history as the godmother of Rock 'n' Roll and remained largely uncelebrated for decades. George Brant's Marie and Rosetta brings her back to center stage, chronicling the first rehearsal between Tharpe and her young protégée Marie Knight as they prepare for the national tour that would make them one of the great musical duos of their era.
"I first encountered George's play at a reading at the Playwrights' Center, and it has stayed with me ever since. What George has written is deceptively intimate: two women, a rehearsal room, and a lifetime of music. But the story it tells is enormous. Sister Rosetta Tharpe shaped the sound of the 20th century, and yet so few people know her name. We hope audiences leave the theatre with that changed." - Peter Rothstein, Producing Artistic Director
The show will be performed May 8 – May 31, 2026 with previews on May 6–7. Tickets for Asolo Rep’s 2025–26 season are on sale now. Show times: Tuesday–Saturday at 7:30 p.m.; Matinees: 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays, and select Thursdays. For tickets and information, visit Asolo Rep's website, or call 941-351-8000 or 800-361-8388.
The principal cast features Maiesha McQueen (Sister Rosetta Tharpe) Broadway: Waitress; Regional credits include: The Color Purple, Clyde’s, Fela! Come From Away, and Ain’t Misbehavin’; Alexis J. Roston (Marie Knight) Regional credit includes: Lady Day (Billie Holiday at Emerson’s Bar and Grill), Don’t Make Me Over - A Tribute to Dionne Warwick (Jeff Nomination, Black Theatre Alliance Award Nomination), Sister Act (Deloris, Jeff nomination); Musicians featured Larry Brown (Guitar) Festivals: St. Louis Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festival, Lima Jazz Festival; Mahmoud Khan (Music Director) Chicago Credits: Windfall (Steppenwolf); Gospel at Colonus (Court Theatre); A Fool Such as I (ETA Creative Arts); Black Nativity (Congo Square Theatre Company at Goodman Theatre); Living All Alone: Phyllis Hymn Story (Theatre 47)
Written by George Brant (plays include: Grounded, Marie and Rosetta, Into the Breeches!, The Prince of Providence, Elephant’s Graveyard, The Land of Oz, Tender Age, The Mourners’ Bench, Any Other Name, Salvage, and Grizzly Mama); Directed by E. Faye Butler (select directing credits: Marie and Rosetta (Milwaukee Rep, Northlight Theatre), Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Milwaukee Rep, Drury Lane, Michigan Ensemble Theatre, Portland Stage), Nunsense, Sister Act (Drury Lane);Scenic Design by John Culbert (Recent productions include Miss Julie and Berlin (Court Theatre), Heart Sellers (Northlight), Marie and Rosetta (Milwaukee Rep) and The Lehman Trilogy (Timeline); Lighting Design by Jared Gooding (Asolo Rep: Chicken and Biscuits; Goodman Theatre: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom); Hair, Wig and Makeup Design by Michelle Hart (Asolo Rep: Fiddler on the Roof, The Mirror Crack’d, Primary Trust and Come From Away); Costume Design by McKinley Johnson (Goodman Theatre); Assistant Stage Management by Lydia Konings (Asolo Rep: The Unfriend, Primary Trust, Come From Away, Jesus Christ Superstar, Anna in the Tropics, and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical); Stage Management by Kaitlin Kitzmiller (Asolo Rep: All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914); Sound Design by Rick Sims (Steppenwolf: The Thanksgiving Play, Domesticated, The Qualms, and The Fundamentals); Replacement Stage Management by Kevin Jinghong Zhu (Broadway: To Kill A Mockingbird)
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