By Stephen Dubois

Just over a century ago, the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified, granting women the right to vote. The Suffragist Movement was one of the most significant and vital for our country’s continued evolution and the musical Suffs explores its history through leaders like Alice Paul, Carrie Chapman Catt, Ida B. Wells, Inez Milholland, Doris Stevens and Lucy Burns among others.  

Created by Shaina Taub, who previously wrote musical adaptations of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and As You Like It, Suffs finds Taub at her most ambitious and inspired.   Few theatre artists have successfully written the music, book, and lyrics of a major musical. Jonathan Larson (Tick Tick Boom, Rent) and Lin-Manuel Miranda (In the Heights, Hamilton) immediately come to mind.  And, like Miranda, who also starred in his creations, Shaina Taub originated the role of Alice Paul in both the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions. The music is delightfully approachable, tuneful, but often relies on predictable Broadway chord progressions. At times, portions of the score feel indebted to Hamilton, particularly in its more heavily orchestrated moments. More than once, I found myself mentally drawing comparisons to Hamilton melodies and motifs. The lyrics of Suffs, though, are deeply meaningful as they propel the story along and are often filled with heart and humor.  There are some real showstopping numbers as well.  While one could argue Alice Paul is the lead, this really is an ensemble of characters, and all of their voices are facets of the same gem…a gem whose value becomes more and more significant.  We know, of course, how the show ends before it starts, but the point is in the journey.  And what a journey it was.  Some of it was harrowing and heartbreaking and you really feel the depths of their sacrifice.  It’s also interesting to see the division of three factions: the elderly and more conservative women who believed change would gradually evolve (but don’t rock the boat too much), the younger women who felt the time to fight was now, and the African American women whose fight would endure further.  The three groups would overlap, split, come together, drift apart but all were cogs in the machine that resulted in success.

The cast was uniformly excellent and entirely female.  Even the male roles were played by women which of course solidifies the central theme that women can do anything.  Maya Keleher as Alice Paul dominated the stage throughout in a performance that had fervor and presence.  Danyel Fulton as Ida B. Wells was a vocal powerhouse. Monica Tulia Ramirez as Inez Millholland sang beautifully while Marya Grandy was understated and prim representing a past generation who forgot how to roar.  Jenny Ashman as Woodrow Wilson convincingly captured Wilson’s stubborn resistance to the movement, making him an effective antagonist while Brandy Porter as Dudley Malone was the sole loveable male character who evolved organically for the better throughout the show.

The scenic design smartly conceived, smoothly transitioned, and expertly lit.  This show is about content and not spectacle, but many sets were extremely satisfying with a restrained wow factor.  Sturdy, wooden set pieces glided laterally to create different scenarios while being paired with furnishings to complete the look.  Light effects and even some pyrotechnics were used making certain scenes quite memorable. 

As we see voting rights currently being challenged across the country, the suffragists (don’t say suffragettes!) and their struggles feel more relevant rather than merely historical.  It’s a reminder that nothing is taken for granted and things worth fighting for don’t come to fruition by people standing, waiting and watching.  It’s therefore the tenacity, bravery and persistence of these great women (who selflessly fought for and led sweeping social change) that resulted in a large percentage of the country having the privilege to be included in the democratic process.

Suffs runs through Sunday, June 7 at Shea’s Performing Arts Center Mainstage and runs about 2.5 hours with one intermission.  Seats remain available for all performances, with Sunday offering the greatest availability, likely because it coincides with the Tony Awards.