Suffs at the Eccles

Last night I went to see the Broadway touring production of Suffs at the Eccles Theatre and I really loved it (both the story, involving fictionalized versions of historical characters, and the music, featuring stirring anthems, reminded me a lot of Hamilton). It focuses on the women's suffrage movement beginning in 1913 until the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920 from the perspectives of Carrie Chapman Catt (Marya Grandy), who leads the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and advocates for a conservative and respectful approach to make women's suffrage palatable to President Woodrow Wilson (Jenny Ashman), and Alice Paul (Maya Keleher), who eventually forms the National Woman's Party (NWP) and pushes for direct action to force Wilson to support them. There is also a parallel story involving a rift between Ida B. Wells (Danyel Fulton), a prominent Black journalist and activist who openly criticizes Paul for compromising on suffrage for Black women, and Mary Church Terrell (Trisha Jeffrey), a Black teacher and activist who thinks working with Paul will eventually help their cause. Along with the infighting and disagreements between the women, this also explores the sacrifices they make and the mistreatment they suffer while working for the vote. I found the story to be incredibly compelling and I loved seeing depictions of real historical events such as the women's march on Washington the day before Wilson's inauguration, the suffragists standing silently in protest at the gates of the White House, the hunger strikes by the suffragists in prison, and the dramatic ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment by a single vote. The music is absolutely incredible and there were several moments when I wanted to stand up and cheer! My favorite songs were "Wait My Turn" when Ida expresses her anger at being excluded from the march, "The March (We Demand Equality)" when the women show their determination to be heard (this reminded me so much of "My Shot" from Hamilton and it gave me goosebumps), "Worth It" as Alice thinks about the challenges of defying societal norms, "This Girl" as Carrie describes the generational differences between her and Alice, "The Young Are at the Gates" as the women silently protest outside the White House, "Fire & Tea" as Carrie and the NAWSA have tea with President Wilson while Alice and the NWP burn him in effigy, and "Keep Marching" as the women continue their fight for equality. The performances are outstanding and filled with passion, the costumes are beautiful and do much to differentiate between the different generations, and the minimal sets keep the action moving. I loved everything about this powerful show and I highly recommend getting a ticket (go here). It runs at the Eccles Theatre through November 16 with matinees on Saturday and Sunday.