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Marie and Rosetta

Beverley Knight

Written by George Brant
A Chichester Festival Theatre, Rose Theatre and ETT production

Wed 25 Jun – Sat 26 Jul

About Marie and Rosetta

4 Stars

An absolute stonker of a show. George Brant's play allows Knight and Ndlovu the freedom to strut their incredible voices.

Daily Express

4 Stars

Raises the roof.

Daily Mail

4 Stars

Bursts with defiance, mischief and joy.

The Stage

4 Stars

Incandescent vocals from Beverley Knight. Marie is winningly played by Ntombizodwa Ndlovu.

The Times

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).

George Brant is an award-winning American playwright whose work includes Grounded (Fringe First and Off-West End Awards).

Monique Touko, winner of the 2022 Stage Debut Award for Best Director, whose acclaimed productions include The Boy at the Back of the Class, School Girls; Or, the African Mean Girls Play, Wedding Band and G, directs this UK premiere.

A co-production with Rose Theatre and ETT.

Marie and Rosetta is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd. concordtheatricals.co.uk

Gallery

  • Two Black women are singing passionately on two raised platforms either side of a large crucifix with flowers at the base. They are both holding tambourine that have purple and white ribbons flowing from them. The backdrop has warm marquee style lighting with dramatic curtains. There is a piano stool and guitar case at the front of the stage.
  • A Black woman is singing with a gleeful expression and her arms raised above her head. The lighting behind her is warm and comforting. Her dress is a muted blue with a subtle circular pattern and her hair is styled with a victory roll.
  • A Black woman is standing elegantly with one arm raised and the other by her side. Her hair is in 1940s style victory rolls, with a flowy pale pink shawl over a floral jacquard dress in the same colour.
  • Two Black women are singing passionately with their eyes closed and arms extended freely on two raised platforms either side of a large crucifix with flowers at the base. There are luxurious indigo and magenta curtains flowing behind them.

Cast and creatives

  • Beverley Knight

    Rosetta Tharpe
  • Ntombizodwa Ndlovu

    Marie Knight

Musicians: Guitar & Musical Director Shirley Tetteh; Piano Mia Odeleye; Drums Ishara Andrews; Double Bass Genevieve Namazzi.

  • Monique Touko

    Role
    Director
  • Lily Arnold

    Role
    Set Designer
  • Jodie-Simone Howe

    Role
    Costume Designer
  • Kloé Dean

    Role
    Movement Director
  • Liam Godwin

    Role
    Music Supervisor, Arranger & Orchestrator
  • Matt Haskins

    Role
    Lighting Designer
  • Tony Gayle

    Role
    Sound Designer
  • Bethan Clark

    Role
    Intimacy Director
  • Joel Trill

    Role
    Voice & Dialect Coach
  • Jacob Sparrow

    Role
    Casting Director
  • Jordi M. Carter

    Role
    Associate Director
  • Cache Thake

    Role
    Associate Movement Director
  • Teresa Nagel

    Role
    Associate Lighting Designer
  • Charlotte Ranson

    Role
    Production Manager
  • Fran Levin

    Role
    Costume Supervisor
  • Keisha-Paris Banya

    Role
    Wigs, Hair & Make-Up Supervisor
  • Francesca Finney

    Role
    Company Stage Manager
  • Jen Davey

    Role
    Deputy Stage Manager
  • Bláithín McReynolds

    Role
    Technical Assistant Stage Manager

We want you to feel welcome and comfortable at CFT. You’ll find further guidance on content here; please be aware that by reading this, elements of the plot may be revealed. Please note that this may be updated nearer the time of the production as staging details are confirmed.

If you have any questions or feedback, or would like further information, do email us at hello@cft.org.uk

Content and themes

This production contains infrequent discriminatory language reflective of the period, and themes of racism, domestic abuse and bereavement.

logos

  • Prologue event
  • Season saver
  • Theatre Green Book

Sponsored by

  • Minerva Season Principal, Charles Holloway OBE

Booking info

Running time
Approximately 2 hours including interval

Pricing

Previews / Press Nights, prices from

pink
£10
yellow
£24
blue
£36

All other performances, prices from

pink
£10
yellow
£45
blue
£58

Offers

Supporters (Friends level and above)
Supporters:
£2 off full price tickets
Discounts and concessions
*Season saver 3+ shows:
10% off full price tickets, see more details below
Prologue season saver 4+ shows:
Book Prologue tickets for three shows and get the fourth free (available until 5 March). All tickets must be booked and paid for in one transaction, maximum of two tickets per show.
Over 60s, weekday performances:
£2 off full price tickets
Full-time students in higher education, Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit claimants weekday performances:
Half Price
Full-time students in higher education, Jobseekers Allowance and Universal Credit claimants weekday performances:
Standby from one hour before the performance: £10.00
Families
Family tickets, except Saturday evenings:
Half Price for up to four U16s with every full price paying adult. Tickets must be booked and paid for in a single transaction. Just select the U16 option for the under 16 tickets in the basket and discounts will be applied at the checkout stage (after the basket)
Groups
Groups 8+, Monday and Tuesday:
£29 per ticket
Groups 8+, Wednesday - Friday:
£5 off each ticket
Groups 40+, Wednesday - Friday:
£8 off each ticket, plus a £5 ticket for the group organiser
Schools and student groups
Schools and student groups 10+, weekday performances:
£10.00 per ticket plus one free teacher ticket

Ticket prices

Listed prices, accurate at on sale, are subject to change in response to demand. Book early for the best prices.

Minerva Theatre

Discounts apply to top two price bands only

Some seating areas may not be available for all performances

*Season savers

Available on FULL PRICE tickets only:
Must book the same number of tickets (up to four tickets per production) for three or more shows
Festival Theatre shows - Band A, B, and C tickets only
Minerva Theatre shows - Band A and B tickets only

All Season Saver tickets must be booked and paid for in a single transaction.

Not available on Previews, Press Nights, Relaxed or Dementia Friendly performances, CFT Summer Gala, A Boy Called Christmas or The Three Little Pigs

Supporters (Friends level and above)

Up to four discounted tickets per production

Groups

You can book up to ten tickets online, just keep your tickets at FULL PRICE and the discount (if applicable) will be applied at the basket. Want to book more? Email groups@cft.org.uk

All tickets

Only one reduction applies per ticket, and all discounts are subject to availability and at the discretion of the Box Office. ID may be required for certain discounts and events. Discounts do not apply to Previews, Press Nights, Dementia Friendly, Relaxed or Gala performances

Tickets are non-refundable

If you return your tickets to the Box Office at least 48 hours before the performance, you can exchange your tickets for the same production on another date (subject to availability). There is a £2 exchange fee per ticket (unless included in your supporter benefits)
 

Access tickets may be available for Access Members

Log in to your account to see Access seats. Select the relevant Access tickets in the basket to receive your discount (where applicable)

£5 Prologue Tickets may be available for 16-30 year olds

Log in to your account to see Prologue seats

Your visit

Getting here

Coming by public transport?

To plan your journey from door to door on public transport visit traveline.info for the quickest route.

Rail

Chichester Station is a 20 minute walk or a 5 minute taxi ride away, with regular direct links to London Victoria, Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Gatwick Airport. Connect to London Waterloo trains at nearby Havant. Visit nationalrail.co.uk or call 08457 484950 for timetables, restricted services and other details.

Walking directions from the station (20 minute walk):
Head out of the main entrance towards The Foundry Pub, walk past the pub with it on your left and straight up South Street until you come to The Cross (stone monument) which indicates an intersection of four streets. Continue straight ahead up North Street. At the top of North Street is a ring road, take the pedestrian underpass to North Gate Car Park and continue through the car park to reach the Theatre on the far side.

Bus

The number 60 Stagecoach bus stops near the Theatre. Visit the Stagecoach website for more information.

Bringing a coach group?

Coming with a large group? The coach drop-off point is outside the Festival Theatre with a coach park in Via Ravenna.

Planning a bike tour?

We're linked to the city’s cycle lane network and our bike park can hold 26 bicycles. It's right next to the Pimlott Building by the park, just off the Theatre’s access road. chichester.gov.uk/cycling

Car-pooling with friends?

The M27 and A27 run along the coast, linking Hampshire, Sussex and Kent. The M3, A3, A29, A259 and A24 connect Portsmouth, Southampton, Mid-Sussex and London. Use the map above for directions to Chichester Festival Theatre. It's also worth looking out for scheduled roadworks on the West Sussex Council website.

We'd encourage you to think green and minimise car travel where possible but recognise that driving may be your only travel option. If so, you have the option to carbon-offset your journey for £1, when booking your tickets. This £1 goes directly to Ecologi to support carbon-offsetting projects and international tree-planting programmes. Read more about this partnership here.

Parking

Northgate Car Park (PO19 6AA) is a 900-space council-run pay and display car park right on our doorstep, which charges from 8am until 8pm Monday - Saturday and 10am until 5pm on Sundays. You can pay by cash, card and contactless and the MiPermit app - chichester.gov.uk/mipermit

As we're so conveniently located, the car park can get very busy, and often full with city centre shoppers as well as our audiences. Allow plenty of time to park (especially if you're coming to a matinee!) and consider alternative car parks in Chichester. You can find all options at chichester.gov.uk/parking.

Parking for disabled patrons
 

If you have a Blue Badge you can park anywhere in Northgate Car Park free of charge. There are 9 non-reservable spaces close to the Theatre entrance. Visit Chichester District Council for other available car parks.

We have a 'drop off' area in front of the Theatres, which you can access from the Broyle Road entrance.

What does CFT have in place to help me?

Accessible performances

You can filter what's on by access need and you can find accessible performances on each of the separate production pages as well. We hope this will make it easier to find what you need but if you have any queries or suggestions let us know at hello@cft.org.uk. We'd love to get your feedback!

For those who are D/deaf or hard of hearing
  • At BSL interpreted performances a British Sign Language interpreter stands on or at the side of the stage and interprets the spoken word and sound effects.
  • Stagetext captioned performances provide English subtitles either on a screen above or to the side of the stage, or on a personal tablet in specific seats. Our Box Office can make sure you're booked into a seat that gives you a good view of the captioning units so contact them on 01243 781312.
  • We record and caption many of our pre-show talks and make them available on YouTube.
  • Both theatres are equipped with Infra-Red audio enhancement system and you can pick up a headset at our cloakrooms before the show for free.
  • Hearing aid user? Unfortunately the induction loop in the Minerva Theatre is switched off at the moment due to technical interference, however you can pick up a headset or individual neck loop for audio enhancement from our staff before the performance.
  • We have a chat function available on the website and can answer questions via email if helpful at access@cft.org.uk

We carry out regular checks on these systems but sometimes technology unfortunately fails us. If you're having any difficulties whatsoever, make sure you speak to a member of staff as soon as possible so we can try to fix the problem.

For those who are Neurodivergent
  • Our Relaxed Performances are aimed at those who enjoy a quieter more chilled out environment. These performances include small changes to create a more comfortable experience. You're welcome to come and go during the show, we'll reduce the volume and keep our houselights at a low level.
  • If you would like more information go to the Relaxed Performances page.
For those with visual impairments
  • Audio described performances provide friendly live commentary over discreet headphones. Pick up your headset from our cloakrooms in the Festival Theatre or outside the Minerva auditorium. (And as an added bonus, we'll share a "pre-description" with you before the show just to give you a taste of what's to come.)
  • Free touch tours are available 90 minutes before audio described performances so you can explore the set and costumes. Make sure you book your space in advance.
  • All seat row ends and individual seats have Braille signage and we can provide a Braille or large print cast list for all Festival season productions.
  • Our season brochures are available in different formats. You can download the large print version here or listen to our audio brochure here (or contact access@cft.org.uk and we'll send you a CD).

Can't make our audio described dates? Let our House Manager know (housemanager@cft.org.uk) and we'll see if it's possible to arrange an alternative.

Audio described activities are kindly sponsored by CI Optometrists

For wheelchair users
  • There is level access across the CFT site with lifts available to other levels.
  • The Café on the Park and our restaurant, The Brasserie, are wheelchair accessible and offer brilliant coffee and great dining experiences.
  • 16 wheelchair spaces are available across two levels in the Festival Theatre and we have two spaces in the Minerva Theatre. Call or email Box Office on 01243 781312 or box.office@cft.org.uk to book your space (or register as an Access member to book online).
  • Want to transfer from a wheelchair into a theatre seat? Let us know in advance when you book and we can help you.
  • Wheelchairs are available to borrow if you need one when you get here; email box.office@cft.org.uk to reserve yours. It's best to do this in advanced as they are subject to availability.
  • Not in a wheelchair but have limited mobility? Walking sticks, crutches and walking aids can all be taken into the theatres and if you can't fit them safely under your seat we'll store them for you in a safe location. We'll do our best to get them back to you swiftly at the end of the performance but please allow extra time in case our Front of House team are busy elsewhere.

If you find an area of our building where access is restricted (unfortunately there are a few), our Box Office and Front of House team members have all completed accessibility training so have a chat to them. They'll happily answer questions or take on feedback to share with the rest of the organisation.

Seat widths

In the Festival Theatre, seats vary from 500mm wide to 560mm wide. In the Minerva Theatre they are either 515mm wide or 520mm wide. All our seats have fixed armrests. Click here to download plans for both venues showing the widths of the different seats.

Please give our Box Office a call on 01243 781312 or email access@cft.org.uk if you would like any further information.

Step-free access

In the Festival Theatre, the foyer, café and toilets are at ground level with no steps to negotiate. When booking your seats you'll want to choose Row L from the Front and Side Stalls or Row W in the Rear Stalls. We have lifts on either side of the auditorium with level access to both of these rows.

In the Minerva building the Theatre and Minerva Bar are on the first floor - once you go through the doors, head behind the stairs to find a lift ready to take you up a level. If you'd like step-free access to your seat in the Minerva, book Row A. The Brasserie is on the ground floor if you're stopping for something to eat before the show.

Toilets

Toilets, washrooms, bathrooms or loos - whatever you call them, it's likely that you'll want to visit ours while you're here. 

We have two accessible toilets in the Festival Theatre foyer (one on each side) and another in the Festival Theatre (auditorium left, adjacent with row L), plus one on each level of the Minerva Theatre. 

We have two sets of ladies and gents in the Festival Theatre and another two sets in the Minerva. We have two all gender toilets in the Minerva Theatre.

The nearest Changing Places toilet is in Northgate car park where it is managed by Chichester Council. You can find more information here on the Changing Places website.

Coming along to one of our audio-described performances?

Listen to the pre-description for the Audio Described performances before you get here.

Anna Karenina: The Audio Described performances will take place on Friday 27 June at 7.30pm and Saturday 28 June at 2.30pm.

The pre-description will also be available live before the audio described performances.

Audio described activities are kindly sponsored by

The Festival Theatre foyer is full of people, some sitting, some standing and some waiting for drinks at the bar.

Explore our spaces

Take a peek before you arrive, book a tour or plan your visit
More info
Two customers are waiting at the counter in our cafe which is loaded with delicious looking cakes. Behind the counter a staff member is making barista coffees.

Food and drink

Delicious dining in The Brasserie, drinks in the Bar or grab a cuppa in our cracking café
More info
A close up of some hand-drawn 3D versions of Chichester landmarks in the middle of a giant paper map. The map sits in the middle of the theatre foyer with children running around it and cutting out other landmarks.

Meet our neighbours

There's so much to do in Chichester and the surrounding area
More info

Get Involved

Linked events

  1. Pink block with Pre-show Talk logo in black type
    Minerva Theatre

    Pre-Show Talk: Marie and Rosetta

    Wed 9 Jul
    More info about Pre-Show Talk: Marie and Rosetta Book now
  2. Pink block with Post-show Talk logo in black type
    Minerva Theatre

    Post-Show Talk: Marie and Rosetta

    Fri 25 Jul
    More info about Post-Show Talk: Marie and Rosetta Book now
  3. A pink background with the Touch Tour logo in the middle in black
    Minerva Theatre

    Touch Tour: Marie and Rosetta

    Fri 25 – Sat 26 Jul
    More info about Touch Tour: Marie and Rosetta Book now
  4. A temporary wooden stage structure is stood next to the Festival Theatre. The structure has a classic barn shape. The sky is very blue and the trees are a vibrant green.
    Festival Theatre Foyer

    New Ventures Exhibition

    Fri 11 Jul - Sat 16 Aug
    More info about New Ventures Exhibition Book now
  5. A temporary wooden stage structure is stood next to the Festival Theatre. The structure has a classic barn shape. The sky is very blue and the trees are a vibrant green.
    Festival Theatre foyer

    Guided Exhibition Tour: New Ventures

    Wed 30 Jul – Thu 14 Aug
    More info about Guided Exhibition Tour: New Ventures Book now

Due to high demand, we have limited tickets available. We can't operate a waiting list but please keep checking the website for returns. 

Choose Dates and Book

Filter by:

Venue

Minerva TheatreFrom £10
Running time
Approximately 2 hours including interval

logos

  • Prologue event
  • Season saver
  • Theatre Green Book

Sponsored by

  • Minerva Season Principal, Charles Holloway OBE

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A stage for every story

Chichester Festival Theatre

Contact Details

Call: 01243 781312 Email: hello@cft.org.uk
Chichester Festival Theatre, Oaklands Park, Chichester, PO19 6AP


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