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 The Theatreguide.London Review

Sylvia
Old Vic Theatre   Spring 2023

The sharp witty lyrics and fast moving book by Kate Prince, along with the hip hop, funk and soul music of Josh Cohen and DJ Wade, take us from the 1903 foundations of the movement with songs such as “First Steps in the Revolution”, to the 1928 winning of the vote for all women over the age of 21.

Its confident and engaging cast of twenty are rarely still, always finding some striking image to generate a dramatic mood in Kate Prince’s well-choreographed dance and movement sequences.

Particularly impressive is a scene in 1910 that conjures up the police attack on the peaceful march of women in protest at the government’s refusal to implement an election promise to grant some women the vote.

We see a line of women linking arms singing the inspiring song “Be the Change” as a line of police stand on an elevated level behind them, every so often swinging truncheons that knock a woman to the ground. For some in the audience it will have conjured up memories of the police assault on the Sarah Everard vigil.

There is a soaring quality to much of the music, especially from the singing voice of Beverley Knight as Emmeline. But there are also songs that are catchy and amusing such as “Suffrajitsu” which accompanies women’s self-defense training in which they learn how to throw police officers to the ground.

The political journey is shown to be also personal as Sylvia’s interest in the Labour MP Keir Hardie (Alex Gaumond) develops from the struggle while the fractures in her family emerge from events in the world.

She clashes with Emmeline and her sister Christabel (Elena Vincent) over her support for working class struggles, opposition to some of the most violent protests such as blowing up MP’s homes and her anti-war position.

The latter argument shows one side handing out white feathers to men not enlisting, while Sylvia joins in the song“When the Rich Wage War it’s the Poor Who Die.”

A final scene shows a complete break between mother and daughter with Emmeline preparing to campaign to become a Tory MP and refusing to see Sylvia or her grandchild.

It’s an exciting focused musical that integrates well the story, the movement and the song in such a way that by the end of the performance it had almost everyone on their feet applauding.

Keith McKenna