She demands to be heard. Tony winner Nikki M. James is breathing fresh life into her depiction of early Civil Rights leader Ida B. Wells in Suffs, as can be seen in this new video of James performing the song "Wait My Turn."
Performed at the Broadway League Spring Road Conference, the song elevates the struggles Black feminists faced during the 19th century Suffragist movement, and the pressure they faced to swallow bigotry as white feminists received preferential treatment.
In addition to James, the show stars Tony nominee Shaina Taub as Alice Paul, Kim Blanck as Ruza Wenclawska, Ally Bonino as Lucy Burns, Nadia Dandashi as Doris Stevens, and Hannah Cruz as Inez Milholland.
The musical previously had a sold-out run at the Public Theater in 2022. Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman produce the Broadway premiere, with Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai as co-producers.
Taub is reprising her Off-Broadway performance as Alice Paul, alongside James (The Book of Mormon) as Ida B. Wells, Tony nominee Jenn Colella (Come From Away) as Carrie Chapman Catt, Grace McLean (Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812) as President Woodrow Wilson, Cruz as Inez Milholland, Blanck as Ruza Wenclawska, Anastacia McCleskey (Waitress) as Mary Church Terrell, Bonino as Lucy Burns, Tsilala Brock as Dudley Malone, Dandashi as Doris Stevens, and Tony nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show) as Alva Belmont/Phoebe Burn. All cast members—save for Skinner, McCleskey, and Blanck—were part of the Off-Broadway production. Bonino and Dandashi make their Broadway debuts in the show.
The ensemble includes Laila Erica Drew as Phyllis Terrell/Robin and Jaygee Macapugay (Here Lies Love) as Mollie Hay, along with Jenna Bainbridge, Dana Costello, Monica Tulia Ramirez, and Ada Westfall. Hawley Gould is the alternate for Alice Paul, with the company rounded out by swings Christine Heesun Hwang, Chessa Metz, Kirsten Scott, Housson Semon, and D'Kaylah Unique Whitley.
Director Leigh Silverman again directs the Broadway production, which features a largely new creative team. Aside from returning music supervisor and music director Andrea Grody, the Broadway creative team includes 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 the general manager.
