thE GOSPEL electric
UP ABOVE MY HEAD, I HEAR MUSIC IN THE AIR...
The Gospel Electric is a narrative rock and roll concert developed especially for audiences ages 10 and up. It is the third and final installment of The Electric Doyenne.
Who decides what “holy“ sounds like? It’s 1939. Evangelical Christians and gospel music listeners have decided Sister Rosetta Tharpe has lost her way. Her music is too risqué and her sound is too cavalier. But this young woman from Cotton Plant, Arkansas, stitches together a musical palette of Mississippi Delta, Chicago blues, Philadelphia church music, and New York swing to create an entirely new sound, and in the process, becomes the renowned female gospel singer considered by many to be the “Godmother of Rock’ n’ Roll.” Witness Tharpe's musical coming of age and her navigation of a segregated, male driven, and spiritually overbearing society.
The Gospel Electric, commissioned by Park Avenue Armory and produced by Trusty Sidekick Theater Company, premiered in December, 2019 at Park Avenue Armory for both education and public performances. We gratefully acknowledge this project is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
WORLD PREMIERE
December, 2019 - Park Avenue Armory
CREATIVE TEAM
RICHARD ARRIAGA
Tommy, Vocals, Ukelele, Piano
GRACE GALU
Rosetta, Vocals, Guitar
CHRISTINA D. ESKRIDGE
Direction
Marie, Vocals, Guitar
RACHAEL GRACE HOLMES
Katie, Vocals
NATALIE MACK
Ceci, Vocals, Ukelele, Percussion
LINTON SMITH II
Gabriel, Vocals, Drums, Horn
JASON VANCE
Joe, Banjo, Bass, Percussion
PIP GENGENBACH
Dramaturgy
COLLABORATING ARTISTS:
Drew Petersen, Neil Tyrone Pritchard
