The Old Vic Theatre have announced the world premiere of Sylvia, a hip hop musical about Emmeline Pankhurst’s lesser-known daughter, Sylvia Pankhurst.
Directed and choreographed by Kate Prince, this show celebrates Pankhurst’s achievements as an activist while also exploring her own personal sacrifices and strained relationship with her family. From playing a pivotal role in the women’s suffrage movement to her life-long advocacy for peace, her inspiring story will be told in a vibrant musical experience aiming to draw in younger and more diverse audiences.
By setting the piece in the early 20th century, an era when women’s voices were often silenced, this piece also acts as a poignant reminder of society’s lack of progress, with gender inequality still manifesting in extreme forms to this day.
The production adopts a more contemporary style, set against a backdrop of hip hop and soul music/choreography as inspired by the musical Hamilton.
Sharon Rose, who starred as Eliza Schuyler in Hamilton in the West End, has been cast in the eponymous role. Soul singer and actress Beverley Knight will be joining Rose on stage, playing suffragette leader and mother Emmeline Pankhurst.
In a statement to the Guardian, Knight discusses how Pankhurst’s story will resonate with modern audiences: “It’s a metaphor for so many things that are going on right now. The way that the poorer sections of society are disenfranchised and removed from what goes on in the social and political circles, how they’re easily passed over and disregarded.”
Sylvia will run from 27 January to 1 April 2023. Tickets will be available for purchase on the Old Vic website on 13 October at 12pm.
Words by Katie Heyes
Support The Indiependent
We’re trying to raise £200 a month to help cover our operational costs. This includes our ‘Writer of the Month’ awards, where we recognise the amazing work produced by our contributor team. If you’ve enjoyed reading our site, we’d really appreciate it if you could donate to The Indiependent. Whether you can give £1 or £10, you’d be making a huge difference to our small team.
Image Credit: “The Old Vic” by marktmcn is licensed under CC BY 2.0.