SUFFS Previews — Page 3

I had time to sleep on this show, and I still stand by what I said last night. This was truly an incredible piece of theatre and I would encourage everyone to see it. Is it Hamilton 2.0? Probably not, but it is a show where you leave being taught a history lesson like Hamilton, 1776, or even Operation Mincemeat. As this was the third preview, I did notice some of the lighting cues were not on point. There were moments when the actresses sang, and their faces were not lit.

On to the performances, THIS CAST! WOW! Besides Taub's beautiful creation of the show, she delivers a heartwarming performance as Alice Paul. Grace McLean made me laugh as hard as President Wilson. Jen Colella can play almost any role and warm people's hearts with her voice! However, NOTHING could have prepared me for Hannah Cruz! That woman is a star in the making!

Overall, this is a show that is not to be missed. I really think this can be a major contender for Best Musical. Definitely predict it will get nominated for Score, Book, and maybe a couple of acting nods for Taub, Colella, Cruz, or McClean. I just hope it can find an audience and run for a while. With all the musical adaptations, three of which are on the same street, this was truly the best ORIGINAL musical this season.

Is it announced what days Taub is not performing (since there's an alternate listed in the Playbill)?

Has this been on TDF?

I definitely think there's been some exaggeration on opinions on this one. I thought it was wonderful and a clear labor of love. Taub fills out the leading role well enough. Collela, McLean, Cruz, and James were the clear standouts of the night. I could see nods for Book, Score, Leading & Supporting. Not many arguments for design awards.

I found the audience reactions interesting. Behind me was a large group going through every major change from the Public production to now... also what happened to the two block rule about getting outside the theater before bashing it? I thought it was common courtesy...

To my left was two clear "UES Theatre Goer" types who were very nice. Interesting enough, when the couple in front of me went "Let's find out if Alice Paul was a real person!" at intermission, the older women next to me scoffed and whispered (loudly enough) "Yes... duh, Alice Paul was a real person..."

That, for me, solidified my opinion on this one. Not every musical this season is going to be perfect, but there will be critiques. For this one, I'm happy educating the audiences is happening, because it's necessary. I loved history in school and was surprised how little I knew of the history of the show. I went home and devoured wikipedia until 1am.

Also: I loved the nods to the black women of the movement and how the next wave of feminism evolved past what Paul originally fought for... and how the fight will continue long after we're gone.

Definitely better than others I've seen this season.

terrilovesNY said: "Saw this at The Public, strong cast (loved Grace McLean and wish Phillipa Soo transferred) and enjoyed the music. I was excited to hear this was being reworked and headed to Broadway. I felt the show needed some cuts, especially the time spent on Alice Paul in jail. Looking forward to preview reports & hope to see this on my trip next month. I’m also a fan of the merch!"

I saw the preview yesterday and I agree that the show spent too much time on Alice Paul in jail. They could probably cut 5-7 mins from that scene.

It's been over 2 decades since I took a US history class back in high school and all I remember from the suffrage movement were Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. From watching POTUS play on Broadway two years ago, I learned about the bust of Alice Paul in the White House.

During intermission, my friends and I all wondered what happened to Woodrow Wilson's wife, the First Lady. Yes I'm looking from a 21st century lens but one would think/hope those ladies would try to get the support of the First Lady for their cause?

I just came out of the preview feat. Hawley Gould as Alice Paul. For the most part, I think the show works. It's a little too long, and I wish the creatives would just embrace the fact that the show works best as an ensemble piece, and not try to have it also serve as a story conveying Alice Paul's personal narrative. The message of an intergenerational fight is incredibly poignant -- why water it down? Totally fine to have us look in from Paul's perspective, but I felt like the show was dragging the most in moments of Alice's internal monologuing (including at the jail). Perhaps some of that is necessary, but a lot of it can be pared back.

Gould was excellent as Alice Paul. I've never seen Shaina in the role (never saw this at the Public), but Gould portrayed Paul with the sort of energetic naivete that the role deserves. Grace McLean adeptly plays the cartoonishly villainous Woodrow Wilson. Emily Skinner may not be nominated for any Tonys for her tracks, but she steals every moment she's in, either as Alva Belmont, or as another character towards the end of the show. Jenn Colella brings a gravitas to Carrie Chapman Catt, as did Nikki James for Ida B. Wells, and Anastacia McCleskey for Mary Church Terrell. Hannah Cruz and Nikki James were the standouts for me, although that's a hard judgment to make given the ensemble nature of the show.

I think the Black suffragists deserve their own show, but I don't think the nod to them detracted from this show in any way.

I was really unsure about the production for about the first 30 minutes or so. It felt like an amateurish, collegiate theatrical reenactment of the Suffragist movement. But the pieces eventually came together, although it did drag in parts, as noted above.

There was one stop mid-show (when Grace McLean first comes out as Woodrow Wilson). The Resolute desk wouldn't move downstage, so stage management called a brief pause to work on whatever technical issue caused the malfunction. Tsilala Brock and McLean were in good humor about it; when the desk started moving, Brock motioned it forward without missing a beat.

Updated On: 3/31/24 at 06:33 PM

I was looking through some april dates and this show seems to be Selling really well… good for them?

The word of Mouth here is certainly good.

I saw at The Public and really liked, The score is great and I think of the show gets a Tony nom for Best Musical (likely?), it can win there.

Falsettolands said: "why have we as a society not figured out how to best utilize Emily Skinner? She should be a Broadway household name and yet she rarely get the projects that showcase her with any real sense. She’s completely wasted in this and then saddled with a weird song at a pivotal moment in the show that doesn’t go anywhere. "

That's too bad about Emily. She was wasted in The Cher Show and New York, New York. I am still overjoyed that I got to see her play Desiree in A Little Night Music at Barrington Stage back in summer 2022. That was a performance to remember!

Anyway, back SUFFS.

I was thinking about this yesterday after seeing Suffs and The Outsiders, two musicals with great substance and score, two fantastic stories, both lacking adequatestage sets.

What an insane thing to say about The Outsiders set which I think is incredibly beautiful and effective set Just because it is mostly a single set does not mean the set is lacking.

There's a lot of problems but I have the guts to say that the general problem can't really be fixed: Taub's writing style trades nuance for simplicity, and at times it's really, really effective (Lucy's Song- totally understand what you all mean about Ally Bonino's performance. She's the real beating heart of Suffs and has a moment that lives up to how much love, humor, and humanity that she brings to the piece) But most of the time it feels afraid to get complicated. These are real people, not footnotes in a history book, so why do each of them only seem to have one specific distinguishable character trait? G.A.B (as the program chooses to denote the song, smart move) did not fix the issue the show had with needing to turn these people into really real. They are flat and try to make exposition feel like dialogue, but the boat has sailed ladies. You are reading us a text book.

And even then, the only characters with true agency onstage are the white women. Ida B. Wells feels like a B-Plot that never has the opportunity to develop. When Wells vents her frustrations to "Wait My Turn" early in the show (far too early considering how it's one of the only decent numbers in the show) the show starts to simmer but then fizzles out because the material seems to be saying "okay but this show isn't about her, back to the white ladies!" And why tease us with a far more dynamic and interesting character, beautifully portrayed by James, only to give her squat to do after she mops the floor with everyone else fifteen minutes into the show?

Grace McClean has the thankless task of playing WW but seems to have been told not to play him like a goofball, play him like a monster, or play him like a real person. So what we have is an actor who is trying to do a little of all of it when their device within the show needs to be adversity, and yet Silverman seems to have told her not to make a meal out of it. It so clearly wants to be the King George track of the show, but the decision needs to be made; what is the device of this character? Decide and then go full throttle. Do not hold back.

Another elephant I gotta bring up. When all is said and done, many of these vet's are making Taub's performance look worse. She is by no means a bad actor, but many of the side characters are portrayed far more interestingly so it's making her look underwritten and flat. The chops are not there to hold this show on her shoulders, and if I go back I would really prefer to see her alternate and how that changes the role.

The design is so ugly. It's not salvageable, but if the material can be fixed than at the very least it could be forgivable.

The good: many of the supporting performances. Many individual moments (Wait My Turn, Lucy's Song, GAB) And at times the costuming.

The bad: Taub's performance, many of the large group numbers, regaling the black women to the sidelines after seemingly promising them opportunities to develop in the show, and some of the other costumes.

The ugly: that set. that set. that set.

Baked into all of the tags that the show likes to constantly reiterate "I want my great-granddaughter to know I was here" "How do we find a way when there isn't one?" etc. there is a show waiting to break free. I'm just not sure the pen is there to make that happen.

Updated On: 4/4/24 at 11:51 AM

In defense of the writer, I think it's hard to not make these types of historical events seem like Book Reports cause the main thrust is "over several years persevere and achieve a specific goal" much like most of progress is in our history.

So you can show some nuance of Alice Paul's blindspots, but you also can't really slow down that much cause you have to tackle a mammoth of a story that includes a large ensemble besides Alice and you gotta get us from a clear point A to point B in 2 acts.

I think any writer would struggle trying to find a way out of that box when boiling down a big important historical movement like this.

That's why you can't really compare this to Hamilton or Evita cause those stories are first and foremost about these wild fascinating characters making strange left turns all the time. There's more room to play.

Here, the complete story of what happened has to be the star.

Tricky

We'll see what happens with Illinoise, but after seeing everything else, I think this could be the front-runner for Best Musical.

I personally really enjoyed it. I was moved. I loved a lot of the music. The performances are across the board great. And the audience around me was crying, cheering, and loving it. There were teenage girls behind me talking to their mom about "when we're old enough to vote" and a man in the bathroom line in total bewilderment that his highschool didn't teach this. This will play spectacularly on tour, in regional and community theaters, and I have a feeling every high school in America will be producing it as soon as the rights are available. It leaves you on a motivated high to use your voice and keep marching.

In a season where there are no definitive standouts and most everything is of somewhat equal artistic merit, I think it might come down to the message Tony voters will want to send. In an election year, with women's rights on the ballot, this show consistently asks the audience what legacy they want to leave behind (I want my great granddaughter to know I was here) and persuades audiences to keep marching. If they do "Keep Marching" on the Tonys (which is arguably the most inspiring number on Broadway this season), Hillary and Malala introduce it, and it doesnt win, it might not look great to liberal American watching at home. I have no idea if that's how Tony voters will look at it, but that's how I look at it in an oversaturated season.

Just my thoughts.

pair-o-dice said: "We'll see what happens with Illinoise, but after seeing everything else, I think this could be the front-runner for Best Musical.

I personally really enjoyed it. I was moved. I loved a lot of the music. The performances are across the board great. And the audience around me was crying, cheering, and loving it. There were teenage girls behind me talking to their mom about "when we're old enough to vote" and a man in the bathroom line in total bewilderment that his highschool didn't teach this. This will play spectacularly on tour, in regional and community theaters, and I have a feeling every high school in America will be producing it as soon as the rights are available. It leaves you on a motivated high to use your voice and keep marching.

In a season where there are no definitive standouts and most everything is of somewhat equal artistic merit, I think it might come down to the message Tony voters will want to send. In an election year, with women's rights on the ballot, this show consistently asks the audience what legacy they want to leave behind (I want my great granddaughter to know I was here) and persuades audiences to keep marching. If they do "Keep Marching" on the Tonys (which is arguably the most inspiring number on Broadway this season), Hillary and Malala introduce it, and it doesnt win, it might not look great to liberal American watching at home. I have no idea if that's how Tony voters will look at it, but that's how I look at it in an oversaturated season.

Just my thoughts."


My friend and I had basically the same thoughts. Really loved the show overall, the audience was full and loving it. Terrific performances, including (especially?) from Taub. I felt she came a long way from the Public run. We also had the same thought that schools are going to be wanting to do this show.