Beverley Knight and Naomi Katiyo lead Sylvia at Curve and on tour
Beverley Knight is back as Emmeline Pankhurst in Sylvia at Curve Theatre in Leicester. Naomi Katiyo plays the title role of Sylvia Pankhurst.
The production is at Curve from 24 September to 3 October 2026. It is playing as part of a limited tour.
That tour includes the Royal Albert Hall in London. SYLVIA will play in the Auditorium there from 13 November to 15 November 2026, with Knight named in the Hall's listing.
Sylvia: A Musical Revolution was created by Kate Prince and Priya Parmar. It tells the story of Sylvia Pankhurst and the fractures within the suffrage campaign and the Pankhurst family WhatsOnStage.
Curve bills it as the untold story of Emmeline Pankhurst's rebellious middle child. While her mother and sister battled for women's suffrage, Sylvia campaigned for working women, the impoverished and the silenced.
The Curve company pairs Knight with Katiyo at its centre. Knight's portrayal of Emmeline is Olivier Award-winning, and she reprises the role for the tour.
Katiyo takes over as Sylvia from Sharon Rose. Her previous credits include Hamilton and Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical, according to Curve.
The rest of the company covers both Pankhursts and Churchills. Ellena Vincent plays Christabel. Kirstie Skivington plays Adela.
Kenedy Small plays Jennie Churchill, identified as Winston's mother. Collette Guitart plays Clementine Churchill. The cast also includes Kelly Agbowu as Flora 'The General' Drummond, Tachia Newall as Keir Hardie and Ivano Turco as Silvio Corio WhatsOnStage.
Prince directs the show and provides the choreography. The score is by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde and fuses hip-hop, funk, soul and R&B.
Sean Green is musical director. Ben Stones designed the set and costumes. The running time is two and a half hours including the interval Curve Theatre.
For audiences new to the story, this is not a straight history lesson. Expect big ensemble numbers, family argument and protest side by side. The Leicester dates are short. London follows in November Royal Albert Hall.
