Sylvia
Sylvia - 2023 West End History , Info & More
Old Vic Theatre
The Cut, South Bank London
'Be the change that you want to see
Be the change for you and me’
This revolutionary story celebrates the life of Sylvia Pankhurst – feminist, activist, pacifist, socialist, rebel – the lesser-known Pankhurst at the heart of the Suffragette movement, who changed the lives of working women and men across the world.
Following its 2018 run as a work-in-progress, Kate Prince’s Sylvia is back where it all began for its world premiere, uniting dance, hip hop, funk and soul to shine a light on a remarkable moment in history, with original music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde.
Beverley Knight will not perform on:
Mon 27–Tue 28 Feb
Mon 6–Tue 7 Mar
Mon 13–Tue 14 Mar
All performances from Mon 20–Tue 28 Mar
Access Performances
Audio Described: Thu 9 Mar 7.30pm
Captioned: Fri 3 Mar 7:30pm
FEATURED REVIEWS FOR Sylvia
A show with much to say, but ends up muffled by its own content
6 / 10
Zoo Nation's Kate Prince is ostensibly a choreographer and director, but this show also features her lyrics and book, written with Priya Parmar. This is the crux of the show's weakness; it simply tries to fit too much in. It is odd that the show spends a few scant minutes on the time leading up to everyone receiving the vote in 1928, but languishes on Sylvia's relationship with Keir Hardie and overlong lampooning of a hen-pecked Churchill. Although thoughtfully staged, it is also hard to shed a tear at the death of Sylvia's brother when he is an unknown character.
Breathless hip-hop history of the suffragette movement is broad, but at times exhilarating
6 / 10
Prince’s motormouth lyrics are adroitly crammed with intricate stacked rhymes, as the performers undulate, grind and pop their way through a whistle-stop tour of the Sylvia Pankhurst story. The obvious comparison is with mighty musical blockbuster Hamilton. But with its cartoonish tone and fist-pumping, feminist-lite energy, the show is a closer sister to Six, which puts a similar girl-power gloss on the wives of Henry VIII. Nuance is sacrificed to high-voltage freneticism. Still, it’s rambunctious fun – and at its best, it captures enough of the euphoric passion of protest to make you, too, want to take to the streets.
by A.A. Cristi - February 15, 2023
The company of Sylvia and friends celebrated the world premiere of the show last night at The Old Vic. Sylvia is an Old Vic and ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company production in association with Sadler’s Wells. The show runs until 8th April. See photos from opening night!
by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 15, 2023
This revolutionary story celebrates the life of Sylvia Pankhurst – feminist, activist, pacifist, socialist, rebel – the lesser-known Pankhurst at the heart of the Suffragette movement, who changed the lives of working women and men across the world. So what did the critics think?
by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 15, 2023
In Sylvia, the subject of the show is potentially fascinating, with much comparison to draw to the current day; echoes of recent police brutality against women, the challenges against the right to protest and the fight for equal pay rumble on 100 years later. The show has so much to say, but ends up muffled. Rose
by Aliya Al-Hassan - February 3, 2023
Directed and choreographed by Kate Prince and starring Beverley Knight as Emmeline Pankhurst and with Sharon Rose as Sylvia Pankhurst, Sylvia will run for a further week, closing on 08 April 2023. Check out the new productions photos here.
Sylvia History
Other Productions of Sylvia
| 2018 | West End |
Old Vic Theatre Original Production West End |
| 2023 | West End |
West End |
Videos