I'm going to level with you. I've been sat at my desk for the last 20 minutes, eating rice pudding, drinking tea and just absorbing the production I've had the honour to watch on stage at Birmingham Hippodrome this evening.
If the aim of Sylvia is exactly as the title reads - to start a revolution - then for sure, Birmingham Hippodrome has just joined it.
Sylvia is a British musical based on the life of Sylvia Pankhurst. It opened in London as a work-in-progress in 2018 before its official world premiere at The Old Vic in 2023. It was nominated for three Oliviers with Beverley Knight winning for her portrayal of the matriarch of the suffragette movement - Emmeline Pankhurst.
The show is set to an incredible soundtrack of dance, soul, funk and hip hop (think Hamilton with less American revolution and more female empowerment) and the most incredible atmospheric set and lighting. For a show of this calibre and synchronicity to be able to achieve what it does with stepped staging and projection is a feat in itself - and one where Sylvia excels.
Make no mistake - this is a phenomenal piece of theatre.
Sylvia is loud, funny, moving, brilliantly performed and blessed with the sort of score and dialogue that makes you wish the interval wasn't a full 20 minutes so you can hear more of it.
Whilst this is the story of the Pankhursts, what it isn't is a period drama with a few songs added. From its opening moments, Sylvia feels thoroughly modern - the music propels the story forward, accompanied by some truly exceptional choreography and an ensemble who barely seem to stop moving.
The result is a show with extraordinary momentum. Even scenes dealing with political arguments and ideological differences have a rhythm to them, while the big musical numbers absolutely explode onto the Hippodrome stage.
At the stories centre is Sylvia Pankhurst, played superbly by Naomi Katiyo, whose story provides a different perspective on one of the most familiar chapters of British history. We know the Pankhurst name and we know the story of the suffragettes, but Sylvia finds something much more personal amongst the politics.
And Katiyo does so, stealing the show with flair and style. Her vocals are incredible and her stage presence is magnetic - she articulates Sylvia's story beautifully and should be commended.
And then there's our Bev. And good Lord, does she deliver.
Knight has played the role in every incarnation of the show from it's original try-out's to this current tour - and she's won the Olivier for her efforts, and never has it been so apparent why.
Beverley Knight has enormous presence anyway, commanding the room whenever she appears and, unsurprisingly, delivering vocals that are simply sensational. Maybe it's being back (almost) home, or maybe it's just doing what she does best, but the sheer power in her voice is astounding. Her effortless rendition of some vocally demanding music is mind-blowing.
But it's not just about that voice. Her Emmeline is formidable, charismatic and complicated. You can see the determination and you can see, at times, the devout motherly instinct - but the character just can't quite put her family before her passions and it's the relationship between mother and daughter provides some of the evening's strongest moments.
However the real magic is when you put these two incredible women side by side, belting their lungs out. It's a privilege to watch the duo, and the rest of the cast, performing and one that so many of the audience will never forget.
The wider company are equally impressive. There is an infectious confidence running through the production - it's an ensemble working at full throttle, and when everyone comes together for the show's biggest numbers the effect is spectacular.
Perhaps Sylvia's cleverest trick, though, is how accessible it makes its story.
There are plenty of serious ideas here, from equality and class to socialism, family and the sometimes uncomfortable compromises involved in political campaigning – but the show never feels weighed down by them. Instead, they're woven into a production that is frequently very funny and, above all, hugely entertaining.
It also refuses to turn its central characters into untouchable historical heroes. All of them are flawed and, whilst their ultimate goal is similar, this is a family who are politically misaligned. They disagree, make mistakes and fall out which gives much more realism and more bite than a straightforward celebration of the suffragette movement.
When a musical can make an audience think while simultaneously making them want to get out of their seats, it's doing something very right indeed.
Sylvia runs at Birmingham Hippodrome until Saturday 10th October. For more information, or to get your tickets, visit birminghamhippodrome.com.
