A GREAT MUSICAL, SUFFS REMINDS
US THAT DEMOCRACY ONLY MOVES
FORWARD WHEN WOMEN DO

While much of what we love in musicals is pure fiction, history has had an undeniable flair for the dramatic — and Broadway has always noticed. From Hamilton to 1776 to Evita, political legends have inspired some of the stage’s most stirring tales. So why not the story of the courageous women who risked their lives to win the vote in 1920? Why not indeed — especially when Suffs, the Tony-nominated Best Musical and winner of Best Book and Best Score in 2022 and now on tour, tells it with such conviction.

Shaina Taub (book, music, and lyrics) deftly charts the escalating struggle between cautious diplomacy and bold defiance within the women’s suffrage movement. Alice Paul (Maya Keleher), brimming with impatience, rejects the slow, stately approach of established leader Carrie Chapman Catt (Marya Grandy), whose strategy relies on decorum and carefully cultivated alliances. Both women share the same goal, yet their battle over method becomes a war of temperament and timing.

As Alice pushes for direct action, she enlists younger recruits Lucy Burns (Gwynne Wood) and Doris Stevens (Livvy Marcus) to shake the movement from its polite torpor. Their efforts soon target President Woodrow Wilson (Jenny Ashman, understudied opening night at The Civic by Marissa Hecker), who offers sympathetic words but refuses to back a federal amendment, his political caution bordering on hypocrisy. The suffragists must then decide whether to split from Carrie’s measured organization, the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), and publicly oppose Wilson’s re-election to force his hand.

The movement’s divisions aren’t only strategic. Racism fractures its core, as Ida B. Wells (Danyel Fulton) demands inclusion while Southern factions threaten to bolt if the movement is integrated. Against such odds, how can these women unite to win Wilson’s support, and convince 36 states to ratify the amendment?

It’s inherently fascinating history, and Taub stitches it together with clarity and pulse, introducing a host of characters without slowing the momentum. Under Leigh Silverman’s brisk direction, the story races from 1913 to 1920 without ever feeling rushed. A clever narrative device keeps us oriented: Doris, serving as secretary to Alice’s early efforts, reads journal entries aloud, tracking the passing years and lending historical context. (The real Doris Stevens’ writings were a cornerstone of Taub’s script — Taub herself played Alice in the Broadway run.)

The score may not stick in your head on the way home, but it’s perfectly tailored to the storytelling. Grandy’s “Let Mother Vote” wittily captures the movement’s genteel restraint; Keleher’s “The March (We Demand Equality)” burns with urgency; and Fulton’s haunting “Wait My Turn” voices Ida’s anguish at being sidelined by white suffragists. Marcus shines in a duet with President Wilson’s Chief of Staff Dudley Malone (Brandi Porter) , a sharp reminder of how marriage stripped women of legal identity. Our lead Ms. Keleher unleashes her full dramatic and vocal range in “Insane,” capturing Alice’s breaking point with thrilling intensity.

For all its weighty subject matter, Suffs is surprisingly uplifting. Joyful anthems like “Great American Bitch” and “Keep Marching” sustain its spark. The all-female cast (cross-dressing effectively, thanks to Paul Tazewell’s smart costumes and Charles G. LaPointe’s wigs and makeup) blends beautifully, especially in the soaring ensemble “How Long?” And hallelujah — under Dani Lee Hutch’s musical direction, and sound design by Jason Crystal with associate Sun Hee Kil, the orchestra finally strikes a balance with the singers. (Perhaps someone took my note after last month’s decibel-heavy Les Misérables.)

No, Suffs won’t dethrone Hamilton or make you rush home to belt the score in your kitchen. But it will leave you enraptured, entertained and newly enlightened — and deeply appreciative of the women who fought, marched, and refused to wait their turn.

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photos by Joan Marcus, 2025

Suffs
Broadway San Diego at the Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Avenue
Thu at 7:30; Fri at 8; Sat and 2 & 8; Sun at 1 & 6:30
ends on October 5, 2025, in San Diego
for tickets, call 619.564.3000 or visit BroadwaySD

tour continues; for dates and cities, visit Suffs

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