Shaina Taub's SUFFS at the Public to feature Phillipa Soo, Nikki M. James, Jenn Colella, Grace McLean, Taub, and more- Page 8

[bstoll1]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 6:26pm

All performances through April 10th have been canceled according to the Public's Instagram account. 

[willep]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 6:49pm

Makes sense. If they didn’t have enough people to go on yesterday because of Covid, they weren’t magically going to have them back today. Looking forward to seeing the reviews though.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 6:53pm

So sad. Was meant to see it Sunday and I’m out of state. Without another extension not sure what to think. 

[EDSOSLO858]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 6:55pm

suicidalmickeymouse said: "So sad. Was meant to see it Sunday and I’m out of state. Without another extension not sure what to think."

You’ll see it on Broadway next season, where it belongs. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 7:52pm

EDSOSLO858 said: "suicidalmickeymouse said: "So sad. Was meant to see it Sunday and I’m out of state. Without another extension not sure what to think."

You’ll see it on Broadway next season, where it belongs."

On Broadway where an equivalent seat will cost much more and out price some. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 8:41pm

Yup. Hello, Hamilton. 

[JasonC3]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 9:20pm

With seats currently at $125 at The Public, one can imagine that some seats would be available for less than that should the show transfer, but they may not afford as great a view.

[cjmclaughlin10]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 9:49pm

Are we still expecting reviews?  I’m anxious to hear what the pros think! 

[Age_of_Mendacity]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 10:42pm

Maya Phillips' NYT review is less than adulatory

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/theater/suffs-review-public-theater.html

Updated On: 4/6/22 at 10:42 PM

[InTheBathroom1]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 10:58pm

I’m not a huge fan of Ms. Phillips reviews.  It never seems like she actually likes theatre when I read her reviews. 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 11:30pm

The 3 publications that "real people" read are all mixed-leaning-negative: NYT, Washington Post, NY Mag. They are, at best, polite. (Helen Shaw likes it the most of the three.)

The killer of Maya Phillips' review is that she doesn't like the score. I don't know where they go from here. The reviews are not going to help anyone who fears it might be "homework"y, nor any male investors/producers/gatekeepers. It's always tricky when the NYT doesn't send a first-string theatre critic to review a show aiming for Broadway, since there's no guarantee they would review an eventual transfer –– if there is one.

I doubt they'd replace Leigh Silverman, but hopefully she and the team can consider the reviews and then regroup. Finding the balance between satire, earnestness, and history-lesson is paramount.

Updated On: 4/6/22 at 11:30 PM

[chrishuyen]

Posted: 4/6/22 at 11:30pm

Marilyn Stasio of Variety managed to write a review where I disagree with almost every aspect. Generally positive and enjoyed the songs, but thought it could be longer and that Phillipa Soo was miscast. https://variety.com/2022/legit/reviews/suffs-review-musical-shaina-taub-1235226941/

fwiw, I agree overall with Maya Phillips more, though she does come off as a bit dismissive 

[jkcohen626]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:19am

I loved this show, so I'm disappointed to see that many critics didn't love it (and VERY curious to know what Jesse Green would have written). That being said, I'm not sure that these reviews destroy chances at a Broadway transfer. 

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:53am

I wouldn’t say destroy, but I think it might detour a direct line to Broadway. I mean, hey, even A Strange Loop (who won a Pulitzer) took a regional route. Same with “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Next to Normal,” etc. I’d likely think they’ll go that route. But clearly - with the extension - there is demand and interest.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 9:14am

The Public has less than 500 seats, you can’t really compare Public demand with Broadway demand. Many a show has done well off bway and then failed on bway  

Might be beneficial to get this into a regional theatre’s season for Fall 2023 and then aim for Bway after that. But that involves more enhancement money. Could also achieve the same thing by producing a Workshop for invited audiences in a year or so.

All that with the assumption that Taub feels it needs “fixing.”

There’s also a world in which this is the next SOFT POWER or GIANT: a musical that theatre folk like at the Public but never comes to Broadway.

I was hoping for better!

[rattleNwoolypenguin]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 10:00am

I think this is a tricky moment for this type of musical.

Cause on some level it’s never been more relevant, but people are also exhausted by the doom scrolling harsh realities of now and the pandemic, that yes the story of suffragettes is inspiring but it’s also depressing and proof that we haven’t actually advanced that far. And with a show that has apparently not that much levity are people springing for that right now in droves?

I think had this come out on the heels of Hamilton it would’ve been a runaway success cause there was some sense of hope the masses had while Obama was still in office and there was a peak interest in American history in that moment. 

Now the masses may say otherwise and fully embrace this and make it the magical hit that Hamilton was. 


 

Updated On: 4/7/22 at 10:00 AM

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 10:39am

Would've been nice if they offered those of us with canceled performances a wait list for future cancellations, or first dibs at a possible extension. They did something similar with performances canceled of Oscar Isaac's Hamlet. So annoying.

[JasonC3]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 11:16am

I found Helen Shaw's review at Vulture to be both well-written and insightful.

It will be interesting to see if it ends up having a Broadway life or becomes a high quality mainstay at noteworthy regional theatres (and beyond) like the Guthrie, Goodman, et al.

Updated On: 4/7/22 at 11:16 AM

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 11:37am

The world is also much more hypersensitive now than it was when HAMILTON opened, and artists are trying to address everything in their work for fear of ridicule of "well you left this out" and being accused of whitewashing history. The critics seem to feel that Shaina painted with too broad a brush here.

[pagereynolds]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 12:35pm

Age_of_Mendacity said: "Maya Phillips' NYT review is less than adulatory

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/06/theater/suffs-review-public-theater.html"

None of the reviews are "move to Broadway" reviews. 

[JSquared2]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 12:42pm

Sutton Ross said: "Yup. Hello, Hamilton."

 

LOLZZ!

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:15pm

For anyone who had a canceled show, don't bother contacting the Public asking for options. I just did and was told there is no wait-list for us to join for returns (so to check the website as often as possible for any), and we will not receive priority access if there is an extension, AND we will have to pay the higher price, rather than honoring the price at our canceled performances. 

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm really tired of the Public's horrific customer service and I'll be hesitant to book shows there in the future. 

This happened to me with Oscar Isaac's Hamlet. Never got to see it despite having had a ticket for months in advance. So, it's not just covid, it's just the crappy way they treat their patrons.
 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:17pm

Sadly at this point, that’s just to be expected from The Public. 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:20pm

iluvtheatertrash said: "Would've been nice if they offered those of us with canceled performances a wait list for future cancellations, or first dibs at a possible extension. They did something similar with performances canceled of Oscar Isaac's Hamlet. So annoying."

They don't owe anyone that. Your rage at the Public seems pretty intense. Their customer service when I had to change tickets for The Visitor NINE times was flawless, quick, and professional. 

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 4/7/22 at 1:23pm

Sutton Ross said: "iluvtheatertrash said: "Would've been nice if they offered those of us with canceled performances a wait list for future cancellations, or first dibs at a possible extension. They did something similar with performances canceled of Oscar Isaac's Hamlet. So annoying."

They don't owe anyone that. Your rage at the Public seems pretty intense. Their customer service when I had to change tickets for The Visitor NINE times was flawless, quick, and professional."

"Rage" is quite a dramatic word. I'm annoyed. I'm allowed to be annoyed. And this has happened to me there before. 

And no, they don't "owe" anyone that, but there are tons of theatres that would make some effort. The Public has repeatedly shown time and again that they won't make an effort for their customers. Glad you had a good experience though. That makes one of us.