Sylvia: A Musical Revolution

Sylvia: A Musical Revolution is at the Festival Theatre from 13 to 17 October, with Beverley Knight taking the stage as Emmeline Pankhurst. It's a hip-hop, funk and soul musical about Sylvia Pankhurst, the rebellious middle child of the Pankhurst family, who led a revolution on behalf of the forgotten: working women, the impoverished and the silenced. Naomi Katiyo plays Sylvia herself, so the two share the stage as mother and daughter.

The music is by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde, and the whole thing is staged by Olivier-nominated choreographer Kate Prince. Knight won the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her portrayal of Emmeline, and the production arrives in Edinburgh direct from London's Old Vic, where it played to sold-out houses and standing ovations. The makers describe it as more than a musical: a manifesto set to music.

If you're not familiar with the history, the Pankhursts were at the heart of the suffragette movement, and this focuses on Sylvia's particular path—the one that took her towards the working class and away from her mother's more middle-class focus. It's a family story as much as a political one, and the hip-hop and soul score puts a contemporary sound to a struggle that's still talked about today.

It's a short run, from Tuesday 13 to Saturday 17 October, so you've only a few days to catch it. You can find tickets and more details at sylviamusicaluk.com.