Sylvia

Sylvia opens at The Lyric Theatre at The Lowry on Monday 19 October, running through to Saturday 24 October. It's a musical about Sylvia Pankhurst, the rebellious middle child of Emmeline Pankhurst and a figure of the Suffragette movement. The show follows her as a proto-feminist who also became a prominent anti-fascist and communist, and it tracks her later years in Ethiopia, where she was granted a state funeral on her death — the only foreigner ever afforded the honour — and a burial plot in front of the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Addis Ababa.

Sharon Rose plays Sylvia Pankhurst, with Beverley Knight as Emmeline Pankhurst and Naomi Katiyo also taking the role of Sylvia. The book is by Katy Prince and Priya Parmar, with music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde. It first appeared at the Old Vic in 2018 as a limited workshop season before returning as a full-length production, and it earned three 2023 Olivier Award nominations, including Best New Musical.

This run is part of a new UK tour in autumn 2026, which is followed by a residency at the Royal Albert Hall. The show is recommended for ages 10 and up, and it plays at The Lyric Theatre at The Lowry in Salford, Manchester, from Monday 19 to Saturday 24 October.