By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — “You got to know what your gift’s truly worth.”
The names Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight aren’t well known today. Only last year was Tharpe finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But if you’ve listened to the likes of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Jimi Hendrix (And who hasn’t?) you’ve heard echoes of the “Godmother of Rock & Roll.”
In the early days, Rock & Roll was considered profane, godless music by many moralists. Yet, these folks grew up in the church and their music carried the indelible imprint of Black Gospel. In our day, things have come full circle with many churches eschewing traditional hymns and pipe organs for in-house rock bands and praises with a beat. I’ve been to a few synagogues that have followed suit and more than a few that ought to.
Sister Rosetta is a force to be reckoned with, making her young protégé, Marie, rather nervous. Her name has appeared on marquees in northern cities like New York and Chicago, drawing a crowd to Carnegie Hall. But in the Jim Crow South, she’s just another person to mistreat. Her southern tour has her playing in barns and garages, places where black folks can gather without drawing too much attention. And because many hotels won’t accommodate their kind, they’re spending the night in a funeral parlor. Cheers to Elizabet Puksto whose scenic design creates a parlor with a tasteful atmosphere and homey, inviting warmth.
Noël Simoné Wippler and Amaiya Holley have a delightful chemistry as Sister Rosetta and Marie Knight. Sister Rosetta is clearly the alpha, a big star whom the younger singer is desperate to impress. Marie wants to be a good Christian, sanctified by the Lord. The more experienced Sister Rosetta has learned that it’s better to be a little bad. At least it gives you better stories. But when Sister started playing nightclubs, church doors were slammed in her face. Now in the twilight of her career, she thinks that Marie’s “high church” sound will open them again.
They both have rich, soul-stirring voices. Holley’s voice flies up to the angels in the rafters. Wippler’s is rooted in fertile soil. Together, they wash over us like a fresh spring rain. Marie & Rosetta is an intimate portrait of a master and her protégé with a hand-clapping, toe-tapping, Hallelujah-crying spirit that falls somewhere between a Gospel revival and the Cotton Club.
Marie & Rosetta is playing at the Cygnet Theatre in Old Town through Feb 16.
In light of the government shutdown with so many federal employees being furloughed or forced to work without paychecks, the Cygnet Theatre is offering free tickets to Marie & Rosetta to federal employees who can show proper identification at the box office. Call 619-337-1525 for more information.
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in the coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com