Theater Thursday - Suffs

We were given complimentary tickets to Suffs for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Suffs

Where: Music Box Theatre

             239 W. 45th St.

             New York, NY

Who: Recommended for Ages 10 and Up 

Me-Suffs is the story of women's struggle for the right to vote, and the characters in the show are all based on real people who were involved in the Suffragist movement. Their story is very powerful especially in today's political climate when it feels like we are starting to take steps backward. It was really inspiring to see how these women fought for and won their long-overdue rights. It moved me to tears numerous times. 

I appreciate that while the show depicted the contributions of numerous men and highlighted the importance of allyship, it primarily focused on the achievements of the women. I also thought it was  cool that the entire cast including the male characters was made up of women because it was such a female-centric show. 

The singing and acting by the whole cast was incredible.  The performances of Hannah Cruz, Shana Taub, Kim Blanck, and Nadia Dandashi stood out to me the most. The music was enjoyable to listen to although I don't know that I would go out of my way to listen to the soundtrack. The songs added to the emotional impact without taking you out of the story.  The pacing flowed nicely so that it was never boring and even though you knew the ultimate outcome, it remained engaging the whole time. I think that absolutely everybody needs to see this show. 

Mom - Although the historical musical, Suffs deals with events of over two hundred years ago, it could not be more relevant. Women's struggle to gain their voting rights echoes the current struggles (and the struggles throughout history) of so many marginalized groups to gain and maintain the rights they should have had in the first place. 

The inspirational women portrayed in the musical are all based on actual people. Some of the women like Carrie Chapman Catt are fairly well known. Others like Inez Mulholland, who quite literally gave her life for the cause, are not but should be.

The musical's book, music, and lyrics were all written by Shaina Taub, who also stars as Alice Paul in the show. It's hard to believe that this is her first foray on Broadway. She is joined in the cast by a talented array of fellow performers many making their Broadway debuts as well. 

The show and the music are both incredibly stirring. They are a reminder of how working together can make a positive difference in the world and how important that is. The show should be required viewing but even if it was those who most need to learn from it probably wouldn't. However, it is still worth seeing.

 

And that's our view. For more about Suffs or to purchase tickets go to suffsmusical.com

Tune in Saturday for Still More Theater Saturday.

Photo credits:

All Suffs production photos by Joan Marcus

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.