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
The sheer charisma and vocal power of the leads transcend the more stilted aspects of this hip-hop show about the Pankhursts
6 / 10
And oh dear, the characterisations. Emmeline advocated violent protest to win wealthy, older, married women the vote: Sylvia wanted universal suffrage for men and women, by peaceful means. Here, their ideological differences have the air of a domestic spat. Knight and Rose (and Ellena Vincent as Christabel) transcend the stilted relationships through sheer charisma and vocal power.
Beverley Knight shines in a stodgy suffragette show
6 / 10
Sylvia is the show that came back from the dead. When it was presented at the Old Vic five years ago, the project suffered multiple crises and opened as a work-in-progress. Prince, founder of the ZooNation dance troupe, subsequently described herself as “embarrassed and out of my depth”. Now after rewrites the piece has been pared from three hours to just over two and a half. It’s still messy, but the good news is that the soul singer Beverley Knight returns in the role of Emmeline. Her voice, when you get to hear it, remains spine-tingling. There just isn’t enough of it.
Category
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
