Beverley Knight to star in ‘Sylvia’ at the Old Vic

The hip-hop suffragette musical is back in London.

The award-winning singer Beverley Knight will star in Sylvia in 2023. Sylvia begins previews at the Old Vic on 27 January, with an opening night on 14 February and performances to 1 April. Book Sylvia tickets on London Theatre.

Sylvia follows the life of Sylvia Pankhurst, political activist and daughter of Emmeline Pankhurst, who charted the suffragette’s campaign for women’s rights. ZooNation’s Sylvia was originally commissioned to mark the centenary since the end of World War One, and played for three weeks at the Old Vic in 2018.

Beverley Knight will play Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia. She previously originated the role of Faye Treadwell in The Drifters Girl, and recently starred as Deloris in Sister Act.

The Sylvia cast includes Sharon Rose as Sylvia Pankhurst, Kelly Agbowu, Verity Blyth, Bradley Charles, Kimmy Edwards, Alex Gaumond, Jade Hackett, Todd Holdsworth, Stevie Hutchinson, Kate Ivory Jordan, Hannah Khemoh, Sinead Long, Jaye Marshall, Kandaka Moore, Razak Osman, Jay Perry, Kirstie Skivington, Antoine Murray-Straughan, Ellena Vincent, and Malachi Welch.

Kate Prince’s company ZooNation created Sylvia, with original music by DJ Walde and Josh Cohen and additional music by Prince. Prince and Priya Parmar write Sylvia with set and costume design by Ben Stones, lighting design by Natasha Chivers, and sound design by Tony Gayle.

Who is Beverley Knight?

Knight is an award-winning singer and songwriter. The gospel and soul singer released hits such as "Shoulda Woulda Coulda," and "Keep This Fire Burning." She made her West End debut in 2013 as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard. Find out more about Beverley Knight.

Sylvia is at the Old Vic.

Book Sylvia tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Sylvia (Photo by Chantel Gale)

Article originally published on 6 Oct. 2022.