ZooNation Records have announced ‘Sylvia – The Essentials’, a 14 track album from the musical starring Beverley Knight which will be released on 5 May and is now available for pre-order. Produced by Grammy award-winning Martin Terefe and released by ZooNation Records, the second single ‘Stand Up’ has been released today and is available to download on all streaming platforms now, with lead vocals by Sharon Rose, music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde (additional music by Kate Prince) and lyrics by Kate Prince (additional lyrics by Tachia Newall).
ZooNation Records was founded to release and champion the music created through the theatre productions of ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company. Born out of a desire to give these unique and exceptional original scores and songs a life beyond the stage, the label exists to capture the energy, storytelling and cultural impact of ZooNation’s work in recorded form. By bringing theatrical music into the studio and onto global platforms, ZooNation Records ensures that the sound of each production can be experienced long after the curtain falls.
Renowned singer/song writer and performer Beverley Knight MBE (Sister Act, The Drifters Girl, Memphis The Musical) reprises her Olivier Award-winning role as Emmeline Pankhurst, alongside Sharon Rose (Hamilton, Motown, Beautiful: The Carol King Musical) as Sylvia in a UK tour culminating in a run at the Royal Albert Hall this Autumn.
Sylvia Pankhurst – fearless, flawed, and unforgettable. The untold story of the rebellious middle child of Emmeline Pankhurst takes centre stage in this irresistible hip hop, funk and soul musical that moves your feet and fires your spirit. Whilst her mother and sister battled for women’s suffrage, Sylvia ignited a revolution for the forgotten: working women, the impoverished, the silenced. Caught between her family and her beliefs, Sylvia risked it all to bring change to millions.
Following its sell-out world premiere production at The Old Vic in 2023, Sylvia will visit Leicester Curve (24 Sep – 3 Oct), followed by Birmingham Hippodrome (6 – 10 Oct), Edinburgh Festival Theatre (13 – 17 Oct), Salford Lowry (19 – 24 Oct), Norwich Theatre (28 – 31 Oct), Canterbury Marlowe (2 – 7 Nov) before heading into the Royal Albert Hall on 13, 14 and 15 November 2026. Sylvia is supported by a grant from the Arts Council Incentivising Touring scheme.
The Olivier Award-winning electrifying musical is fuelled by an irresistible soundtrack by Josh Cohen, DJ Walde and Kate Prince that joyously unites hip hop, funk, and soul, and is brought to life on stage by world-renowned choreographer and storyteller Kate Prince (ZooNation).
The full creative team includes: Kate Prince (Director, Choreographer, Book, Lyrics and Additional Music), Josh Cohen and DJ Walde (Music), Ben Stones (Set and Costume), Natasha Chivers (Lighting), Tony Gayle (Sound), Andrzej Goulding (Video and Animation), Cynthia De La Rosa (Wigs, Hair and Make-up), Lolita Chakrabarti (Dramaturgy), Sean Green (Music Supervisor), Tachia Newall (Additional Lyrics), Priya Parma (‘Book With’), Danielle ‘Rhimes’ Lecointe (Associate Director), and Jade Hackett (Associate Choreographer).
The Royal Albert Hall played a defining role in the campaign for women’s suffrage, serving as the backdrop for some of the most significant speeches and gatherings in the movement’s history. Between 1908 and 1913, the Hall hosted nearly thirty events linked to the fight for the vote, attracting both militant and pacifist suffrage groups — as well as the National League for Opposing Women’s Suffrage — who hired the venue for their meetings. The first meeting took place at the Hall in April 1908 and each event drew immense public interest; every seat was sold well in advance, with hundreds more turned away at the doors. According to accounts of the time, audiences were composed almost entirely of women, with 200 women stewards dressed in white overseeing proceedings.
Affectionately known by the Suffragettes as a “Temple of Liberty,” the Royal Albert Hall even appeared as their base in a popular board game of the era. However, following the intensification of militant tactics, the Hall’s trustees — like many London venues — banned Emmeline Pankhurst, her daughters, and the Women’s Social and Political Union from using the venue in April 1913. The Suffragettes thus became the first political group ever to be barred from the Hall. After the partial victory of 1918, when some women gained the right to vote, the Hall lifted its ban. On 16 March 1918, it hosted a special “Celebration of the Women’s Suffrage Victory” meeting, featuring addresses from Mrs. Pankhurst and her daughter Christabel — marking both a symbolic and literal return to the “Temple of Liberty.”
For more information, please call the Box Office on 01603 630 000 or visit norwichtheatre.org.
