Marie and Rosetta with Beverley Knight and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu to transfer to the West End

George Brant’s Marie and Rosetta will open in the West End next spring.

Directed by Monique Touko, the play stars Beverley Knight reprising her role as gospel and rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, alongside Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Marie Knight, who makes her West End debut. The production features live music, with songs including “Didn’t It Rain” and “Peace in the Valley.” The production received a glowing review from WhatsOnStage during its initial run, with particular praise for “stirring vocals, sharp dialogue, and a moving exploration of faith, fame, and friendship.”

Knight said today: “Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her legacy had long been overlooked in music history. She deserves her place as one of the architects of rock ‘n’ roll, a Gospel singing, guitar shredding heroine who helped to shape popular music as we know it today. I’m so proud that we get to tell her story and that of her co collaborator Marie Knight played by the incredibly talented Ntombizodwa Ndlovu who makes her debut in the West End. She is a star in the making!”

Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Chichester Festival Theatre, in association with Nica Burns, will present the West End premiere of the Rose Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and ETT production, opening at @sohoplace from 28 February 2026. The production will run until 11 April, with press night on 6 March.

The creative team includes Jodie-Simone Howe (costume designer), Kloé Dean (movement director), Tony Gayle (sound designer), Bethan Clark (intimacy director), Joel Trill (voice and dialect coach), Jordi M Carter (associate director) and Shirley Teteh (musical director and guitar).