Sylvia Pankhurst. Activist. Rebel. Icon.
Beverley Knight MBE (Sister Act, The Drifters Girl, Memphis The Musical) will reprise her Olivier Award-winning role as Emmeline Pankhurst, alongside Sharon Rose (Hamilton, Motown, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical) as Sylvia in a UK tour culminating in a run at the Royal Albert Hall this Autumn.
Sylvia Pankhurst – fearless, flawed, and unforgettable. The untold story of the rebellious middle child of Emmeline Pankhurst takes centre stage in this irresistible hip hop, funk and soul musical that moves your feet and fires your spirit. Whilst her mother and sister battled for women’s suffrage, Sylvia ignited a revolution for the forgotten: working women, the impoverished, the silenced. Caught between her family and her beliefs, Sylvia risked it all to bring change to millions.
The Olivier Award-winning electrifying musical is fuelled by an irresistible soundtrack by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde that joyously unites hip hop, funk, and soul, and is brought to life by world-renowned choreographer and storyteller Kate Prince (ZooNation).
Beverley Knight said: “I could not be more chuffed to reprise my role as Emmeline Pankhurst one more time! The spirit, courage and determination of the suffragettes and in particular Sylvia Pankhurst is so brilliantly celebrated in this show.
The Soul, R&B, HipHop and Blues reflects the joy, passion and the fight of the women and their allies. It seemed to me like the perfect place to perform “Sylvia” was the very stage on which the suffragettes were roundly expelled and rejected, the Royal Albert Hall. Over 100 years later Sylvia and the Suffragettes are returning to triumph.”
The full creative team includes: Kate Prince (Book and Lyrics, Director and Choreographer), Priya Parmar (Book), Josh Cohen and DJ Walde (Music), Ben Stones (Set and Costume), Natasha Chivers (Lighting), Tony Gayle (Sound), Andrzej Goulding (Video and Animation), Cynthia De La Rosa (Wigs, Hair and Make-up), Lolita Chakrabarti (Dramaturgy) and Sean Green (Music Supervisor).
How is the Royal Albert Hall connected to the suffragette movement?
The Royal Albert Hall played a defining role in the campaign for women’s suffrage, serving as the backdrop for some of the most significant speeches and gatherings in the movement’s history. Between 1908 and 1913, the Hall hosted nearly thirty events linked to the fight for the vote, attracting both militant and pacifist suffrage groups — as well as the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage — who hired the venue for their meetings.
The first meeting took place at the Hall in April 1908 and each event drew immense public interest; every seat was sold well in advance, with hundreds more turned away at the doors. According to accounts of the time, audiences were composed almost entirely of women, with 200 women stewards dressed in white overseeing proceedings.
Affectionately known by the Suffragettes as a “Temple of Liberty,” the Royal Albert Hall even appeared as their base in a popular board game of the era. However, following the intensification of militant tactics, the Hall’s trustees — like many London venues — banned Emmeline Pankhurst, her daughters, and the Women’s Social and Political Union from using the venue in April 1913. The Suffragettes thus became the first political group ever to be barred from the Hall. After the partial victory of 1918, when some women gained the right to vote, the Hall lifted its ban. On 16 March 1918, it hosted a special “Celebration of the Women’s Suffrage Victory” meeting, featuring addresses from Mrs. Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel — marking both a symbolic and literal return to the “Temple of Liberty.”
For tour dates and on-sale information please visit http://sylviamusicaluk.com/
Curve Leicester
Thursday 24th – Saturday 3rd October 2026
Birmingham Hippodrome
Tuesday 6th – Saturday 10th October 2026
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
Monday 12th – Saturday 17th October 2026
Lowry, Salford
Monday 19th – Saturday 24th October 2026
Norwich Theatre
Tuesday 28th -Saturday 31st October 2026
Marlowe Theatre Canterbury
Monday 2nd November – Saturday 7th November 2026
Royal Albert Hall
Friday 13th November (evening), Saturday 14th November (matinee and evening) and Sunday 15th November (matinee and evening)
Who is Beverley Knight?
Queen of British Soul Beverley Knight has been one of the UK’s most consistently outstanding artists for over 3 decades. She can truly do it all; an Olivier Award-winning star of the West End stage, astounding singer with a prolific music career and much-loved TV & broadcast talent, she finds herself recently 50 and bigger than ever.
Beverley was awarded an MBE in 2007 for services to British music and charity, has won an Oliver Award (and twice nominated for Best Actress), won three MOBO Awards, been nominated for Best Female at the Brit Awards 3 times and Best Album at the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. Last year she also won the Outstanding Contribution to Diversity Award at the European Diversity Awards and was honoured at the Ethnicity Awards for her continued efforts in the field.
Her outstanding live performances have gained her a legion of famous fans, she has collaborated on stage and on record with the likes of Prince, Jamiroquai, Bocelli, Take That, Tom Jones, Chaka Khan & Marvin Gaye. Her most recent ‘50’ headline tour marked the release of her ninth studio album and was her biggest ever tour of the UK, including a sold out Royal Albert Hall. In 2025, Beverley and her band headlined Cheltenham Jazz Festival, The Warwick Sessions with Will Young, and joined outdoor shows of both Gary Barlow and Michael Buble as a special guest. Beverley just announced “Born to Perform,” a headline tour across the UK in June 2026, a journey through her life on both music and theatre stages, using memories and songs with dates at London’s Eventim Apollo, Manchester’s O2 Apollo and her hometown’s University of Wolverhampton at The Halls.
In recent years, Wolverhampton born Knight has forged a formidable parallel career in theatre. Her West End debut was the starring role in The Bodyguard followed by leading the Tony winning Memphis The Musical. At the request of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber she joined the cast of Cats, playing the iconic role of Grizabella. 2021 saw Beverley lead The Drifters Girl (Olivier nominated Best New Musical) as the formidable manager of soul group The Drifters. Her role as Emmeline Pankhurst in The Old Vic’s production of Sylvia in 2023, garnered her both huge acclaim and her first Olivier Award win. Showing her versatility and comedic skill, Beverley starred as Deloris Van Cartier opposite Jennifer Saunders in the revival of Sister Act in Hammersmith Apollo’s highest grossing show ever in the venue. In 2024, Beverley reprised her role as Deloris Van Cartier opposite Ruth Jones at the Dominion. Most recently, Beverley featured as the Godmother of Rock ‘n’ Roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe in her first professional theatre play Marie and Rosetta which will be returning to stage at Soho Place on the West End starting February 2026.
Her broadcasting work includes presenting 5 series of her own radio 2 show ‘Beverley’s Gospel Nights’, a panel judge in ITV’s talent series Starstruck and two series of the BBC1 show Just the Two of Us. She also appeared in the all-star cast of Amazon’s new live action movie Cinderella (2021) with Camilla Cabello in the title role.
A true British treasure, Beverley is a Patron for Terence Higgins Trust, an ambassador for Plan UK and Go Live, and a founding member of The Circle plus long-time supporter of many charities.
Who is Sharon Rose?
Sharon Rose’s extensive theatre credits include the titular role in Sylvia at The Old Vic Theatre, alongside Beverley Knight, and her leading role as Eliza Hamilton in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s award-winning Hamilton. Further theatre credits include Caroline, Or Change, Motown, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical and Sister Act.
Her work on screen includes roles in BBC’s Silent Witness and feature film Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey, with Forest Whitaker.
Sharon will next be seen in the upcoming PBS series The Forsyte Saga, with Stephen Moyer and Francesca Annis. Most recently Sharon starred in the critically acclaimed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry at the Chichester Festival Theatre and is currently prepping to star as Emma in One Day: The Musical which will premiere at Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh in the new year.
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