Back in 2018, I went to see Sylvia at the Old Vic, a new musical about Sylvia Pankhurst written by Kate Prince and Priya Parmar, with music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde.
The whole run was presented as a work in progress, and although it has evolved and returned to the stage in 2023, I haven’t had chance to catch up with it until now.
Beverley Knight is still connected with the show, playing Emmeline Pankhurst, the mother of Christabel, Adela, and Sylvia. The musical brings Prince and ZooNation’s funk, hip-hop, and dance style to a complex historical tale covering a 25-year battle to get women the vote.
The venue for tonight’s production – also running for four performances over the weekend – is the cavernous Royal Albert Hall. Historically relevant as the place where the Pankhursts and the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) first made a stand in 1908, it isn’t necessarily artistically forgiving for a musical.
It’s a lively and exuberant take on the battle for women’s suffrage, with pulsing music and energetic dance numbers (“Suffrajitsu”, “Make Some Noise”). This time there is also a lot of video screen work with places, slogans, and events popping up behind the action.
It’s still a very long show, running around 2 hrs 50. What has evolved is the script and the ideas, with some peripheral characters excised and a lot more focus on Sylvia herself. Her mother and sisters are interesting subjects, but it isn’t their show.
What is important in a show that tells the story of strong women against the derision and oppression of men – notably Winston Churchill – is that it reaches and galvanises the audience. A hard sell in this venue, and despite the show being markedly improved since its work in progress phase, I have to note that limitation, as well as sound that sometimes loses the intricate song lyrics.
However, the cast is very good indeed. Knight has been with the project from the start, and it shows – her Emmeline is committed, single-minded, and flawed. Naomi Katiyo is new to the cast in the leading role – her Sylvia is beautifully shaded as she searches for love, purpose, and connection.
Ellena Vincent, Kirstie Skivington, and Kelly Agbowo return from the 2023 production as Christabel Pankhurst, Adela Pankhurst, and Flora Drummond respectively. Uzuazo O’David plays young Harry Pankhurst, supportive of his sisters but destined to have a short life. Emily Wilding Davison, a martyr to the cause at the 1913 Derby, is given an earnest voice by Ebony Clarke.
There are moments of romance in this show alongside the action. Sylvia and older, married MP and Labour leader Keir Hardie (Tachia Newall) are shown to have at least an emotional affair. Christabel and Annie Kenney (Eloise Davies) are surmised to be lesbian lovers. It may not be historically accurate, but in this version it works, although the idea remains underdeveloped.
The Churchills – pompous Winston (Castell Parker), resolute wife Clementine (Collette Guitart), and bossy momma Jennie (Kenedy Small) – provide both comic relief and a surprising source of cheering from the sidelines, especially after an academic proclaims women have small brains and emotional instability.
Casting the characters largely from Global Majority actors does offer comparison with Hamilton, but it fits with the funk, soul and hip-hop approach to the story of the Pankhursts, which is one of a well-placed group of women who didn’t necessarily reach down to support the working woman.
The family – and Annie Kenney – are well-known in my home town of Oldham and the wider city of Manchester as heroes of women’s rights. Even Churchill was MP in the town early in his career. Their influence, however, was felt worldwide, with Adela settling in Australia and Sylvia in Ethiopia.
It’s a hard one to rate. In this case, I need to specify this is probably a 4-star show, but the overall experience brings it closer to 3*. So 3.5 stars is my final verdict.
Sylvia: A Musical Revolution is at the Royal Albert Hall until 15 Nov, with matinee and evening performances both days.
Photo credit: Tristram Kenton
For more on the Pankhurst family, go to https://www.pankhurstmuseum.com/the-pankhurst-family.
For more on the campaign for women’s suffrage, visit https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/explore-the-collection/explore-by-topic/democracy-and-protest/womens-suffrage/.