The Show
A bold and brilliant new musical experience starring Sharon Rose alongside soul legend Beverley Knight, Sylvia charts the life of Sylvia Pankhurst - suffragette, socialist and feminist pioneer. Often overlooked in favour of her more famous relatives, Pankhurst (Sharon Rose) is finally given the recognition she deserves in this important and timely new musical. Beginning in 1913 with her controversial expulsion from the Women's Social and Political Union, we follow this great woman's fierce fight for emancipation; her struggle against the harsh industrial capitalism of the 1900s; and her tumultuous relationship with her fellow socialist, Labour Party founder Keir Hardie. But Sylvia's pacifist ideals bring her into conflict with her militant mother Emmeline (Beverley Knight), and tensions between the two begin to boil over even as they face down the virulent classism and misogyny of the early 20th Century. Ingeniously, director Kate Prince packs the soundtrack with stirring soul and hip-hop, lending the show a sense of modernity that highlights the continuing relevance of Pankhurst's story. Sylvia is an unmissable musical event, finally brought to the stage after 5 long years in development, so book your tickets today and don't miss out on the inspiring story of this extraordinary woman.
History of Sylvia
Commissioned by the Old Vic to commemorate the centenary of the 1918 Representation of the People Act (the first parliamentary Act to extend some voting rights to women), Sylvia was originally envisioned as a dance piece. However, it quickly evolved into a full-scale musical that blew audiences away from the very beginning. After years in development, the show is finally ready for its West End debut in 2023, when it is sure to make the same impact on critics and audiences alike.
Awards and What the Critics Say
From its very first showing as a work-in-progress in 2018, Sylvia has thrilled critics. Writing in 2018, Michael Billington of the Guardian called Sylvia 'a hit in the making,' writing that the show 'captures both the internal and external struggles women faced in campaigning for the vote.' Similarly enthralled, Stylist's Moya Crockett wrote 'nothing I can say could do this extraordinary show justice...an astonishing victory.'
Why Book London Theatre Tickets to see Sylvia?
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Interesting Facts About Sylvia
West End mainstay Beverley Knight previously appeared in The Drifters Girl, playing another great woman of history: Drifters manager Faye Treadwell, one of the first African-American managers. Keir Hardie is not the only historical MP to make an appearance in Sylvia: actor Jay Perry (who played Aaron Burr in Hamilton at the Victoria Palace Theatre) appears in the role of a young Winston Churchill, who is torn between his mother's and his wife's conflicting views on the suffragette movement.
