Full casting has been revealed for the Broadway bow of Suffs. Composer, book writer, and lyricist Shaina Taub will star in her own musical, which had a sold-out run at the Public Theater in 2022 (also starring Taub). Previews will begin at the Music Box Theatre March 26 ahead of an April 18 opening night. Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman are producing the Broadway premiere, with Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai as co-producers.
The musical examines the suffragists and forgotten women who worked against divides and oppression as part of the fight for the right to vote. Set in the years leading up to the 19th amendment, the musical explores the movement's victories and failures.
Shaina Taub will reprise her Off-Broadway performance as Alice Paul, alongside Tony Award winner Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon) as Ida B. Wells, Tony Award nominee Jenn Colella (Come From Away) as Carrie Chapman Catt, Grace McLean (Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812) as President Woodrow Wilson, Hannah Cruz as Inez Milholland, Kim Blanck as Ruza Wenclawska, Anastacia McCleskey (Waitress) as Mary Church Terrell, Ally Bonino as Lucy Burns, Tsilala Brock as Dudley Malone, Nadia Dandashi as Doris Stevens, and Tony Award nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show) as Alva Belmont/Phoebe Burn. All cast members—save for Skinner, McCleskey, and Blanck—are rejoining the cast from the Off-Broadway production. Bonino and Dandashi will make their Broadway debuts in the show.
Rounding out the company will be Hawley Gould (Camelot) as the alternate for Alice Paul, Jaygee Macapugay (Here Lies Love) as Mollie Hay, and Laila Drew as Phyllis Terrell/Robin. The ensemble will include Dana Costello, Jenna Bainbridge Monica Tulia Ramirez, Ada Westfall, Christine Heesun Hwang, Kirsten Scott, Housso Semon, and D'Kaylah Unique Whitley.
Director Leigh Silverman will again direct the Broadway production, which will otherwise feature a largely new creative team. Aside from returning music supervisor and music director Andrea Grody, the Broadway creative team will include Suffs newcomers choreographer Mayte Natalio, scenic designer Riccardo Hernández, costume designer Paul Tazewell, lighting designer Lap Chi Chu, sound designer Jason Crystal, and orchestrator Michael Starobin. 101 Productions is serving as general manager.
That new creative team seems to indicate that the upcoming Broadway run will be substantially different from the piece's Off-Broadway world premiere, which received mixed reviews. Furman told The New York Times that Taub has revised the musical heavily, changing songs and reducing the running time following audience and critical feedback.
Visit SuffsMusical.com.
