I Went to See Sylvia. I Didn't Expect to Fall for Silvio!

Hip-hop, heartbreak, laughter and a few unexpected tears at Birmingham Hippodrome.

On Saturday, I went to Birmingham Hippodrome to see Sylvia, the musical inspired by the life of suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst.

I expected a story about a woman who fought to change the world. What I didn't expect was to laugh out loud, cry and fall a little bit in love with a man called Silvio!

What an absolutely phenomenal production! Makorokoto!*

Taking a story from the 1800s and bringing it roaring into the present through witty dialogue, hip-hop, UK garage and fabulous choreography was pure genius.

The energy! The dancing! The music! THE VOICES!!! LORD HAVE MERCY! (Quite frankly, it's unfair that so much talent can belong to one individual!)

But beyond the extraordinary performances, something else stayed with me.

How they made me feel.

First, They Made Me Cry…

When Sylvia sang about losing her little brother, the heartbreak in her voice was gut-wrenching.

I tried desperately to hold back the tears. You know the blinking, swallowing, staring at something uninteresting while hoping your eyes will cooperate?

Mine didn't.

The tears fell.

I wasn't just watching her grief. I felt it.

And Then Along Came Silvio…

Oh, poor Silvio!

Hopelessly in love with Sylvia, who was so busy changing history she couldn't even get his name right!

Antonio?! Seriously?!

Then he sang about his unrequited love.

Oh… my… goodness.

The longing, the vulnerability, the ache of loving someone who barely notices you. My soppy little heart didn't stand a chance!

SYLVIA! THE MAN IS POURING HIS HEART OUT!

They Didn't Just Tell the Story. They Made Me Feel It.

I'd gone to watch a woman fighting to change the world, yet it was the deeply human emotions that captured my heart.

Love. Loyalty. Loss. Life.

Through music, humour and extraordinary storytelling, people from another century became wonderfully real.

And it reminded me of something I care deeply about at Grace Expressed.

A wedding ceremony can tell guests how two people met and fell in love. Or it can make them feel the laughter, tenderness and wonderful twists that brought them together.

A funeral tribute can list someone's achievements. Or it can bring their personality into the room through the memories, quirks and stories that make everyone smile and think, “That's SO them!”

That's the difference between words that are delivered and words that are felt.

Meaningful Doesn't Have to Mean Conventional

Who knew hip-hop and UK garage could work so brilliantly in a suffragette musical?

Yet they did!

The same applies to ceremonies. A traditional hymn may be perfect for one farewell, while an unexpected song captures another person's personality beautifully.

It's about finding the right way to tell your story, in a way that resonates.

A Standing Ovation From Me!

I left Birmingham Hippodrome thoroughly entertained, emotionally exhausted and still feeling all the feels!

And Silvio? You'll always have a little place in my heart, even if Sylvia couldn't remember your name!

The production reminded me why I love what I do.

A beautifully told story doesn't just give people something to listen to. It gives them something to feel.

And long after the final words are spoken, it's how they made us feel that stays with us.

*Makorokoto is from the Shona language spoken in Zimbabwe and expresses emphatic congratulations