The acclaimed musical Sylvia arrives at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre with Beverley Knight returning to her Olivier Award-winning role as Emmeline Pankhurst and Naomi Katiyo taking the title role of Sylvia Pankhurst.
Created by ZooNation founder Kate Prince, the production reimagines the suffragette story through a soundtrack driven by hip-hop, funk and soul, bringing contemporary musical energy to an important chapter in British political and social history.
At its centre is Sylvia Pankhurst, the rebellious daughter whose political work increasingly focused on working women, poverty and communities that did not always receive the same attention within the wider suffrage movement.
Rather than presenting that history as a conventional period drama, Sylvia uses dance, rhythm and Black musical traditions to make the story immediate for contemporary audiences.
The production also showcases major Black British talent.
Beverley Knight has spent more than three decades as one of Britain’s leading soul singers before building a parallel career on the West End stage. Her performance as Emmeline Pankhurst earned her the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, while the production itself won Best New Musical at the Black British Theatre Awards.
That combination makes Sylvia an interesting choice during Black History Month.
It demonstrates how Black British performers and creative traditions are helping reinterpret stories from the wider British past rather than being confined to productions specifically labelled as Black history.
Hip-hop, funk and soul become part of the storytelling language through which questions of protest, equality and social change are explored.
Energetic, accessible and visually ambitious, Sylvia offers Edinburgh audiences a fresh way into British history while celebrating the contribution Black artists continue to make to contemporary British theatre.
More Edinburgh Listings MORE
Kane Brown: Crowd Work King
Comedian Kane Brown brings his new Crowd Work King show to Edinburgh for an afternoon of completely unscripted…
Black Heroes of Mathematics 2026 (BHOM26)
Black Heroes of Mathematics 2026 (BHOM26) returns this October as a global celebration of Black excellence in mathematics,…
Black Heroes of Mathematics Conference 2026
Black Heroes of Mathematics Conference 2026 brings mathematicians, educators, students and supporters together in Edinburgh for a two-day…
African Soul Rebels featuring Les Amazones d’Afrique & Gasper Nali
African Soul Rebels brings a powerful celebration of contemporary African music to Edinburgh, led by West African collective…
Sylvia
The acclaimed musical Sylvia arrives at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre with Beverley Knight returning to her Olivier Award-winning role…
Ibibio Sound Machine
Ibibio Sound Machine brings its exhilarating combination of West African rhythms, funk, electronic music, disco and post-punk to…