Review: SUFFS at Orpheum Theatre Memphis

"Well behaved women seldom make history."- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. This quote certainly describes the suffragisfs, or Suffs, as the audience will come to know them as. 

Suffs is a musical based on the American women's suffrage movement and mainly focuses on the historical events leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote in 1920. Shaina Taub wrote the book, lyrics, and music, also becoming the second woman in Broadway history to also star in her own work. Originally titled Suffragist, the show had planned to premiere at the Palace Theatre in the Fall of 2020, but was unfortunately postponed due to the COVID Pandemic. Suffs began previews on March 13, 2022 at the Palace Theatre and moved to the Music Box Theatre on Broadway in March of 2024. The productuion was filmed in December 2024 and aired on PBS in May of 2026. It closed on Broadway in January of 2025 and a North American tour began in September 2025 in Yakima Washington, with 26 other cities scheduled through August 2026. Memphis audiences were fortunate enough to witness the regional premiere this evening. Since Tennesee and Memphis itself both played large parts in the Suffrage Movement, there were quite a few cheers from the crowd tonight. The show was also nominated for six Tony Awards in 2024, winning Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. I won't say I have the songs stuck in my head hours later but the music is catchy and the story is incredibly powerful. The technical elements, particularly the costume design and lighting design, also blend together beautifully to create striking images that many of us remember from our history books. The iconic image of Inez Milholland on a horse leading the Women's Suffrage Procession of 1913, which became a symbol of freedom for women around the nation, is staged beautifully and continues to hang above the office of the National Women's Party. 

This is truly an ensemble show, as womens' voices meld together, often playing several different historical figures. Among my favorite moments were "Show Them Who You Are", "Worth It", "Great American Bitch", and "The Young Are At the Gates". (A warm welcome home shout-out to former Playhouse on the Square intern, Laura Stracko, who portrays not one but two powerful women). 

It's a shame that Suffs has such a limited run in Memphis because I think every classroom in Memphis needs to send children to see this show. Tennesee audiences will cheer at that one cruical moment, when the women are waiting with baited breath, and praying for a flip of the vote, to find out if Tennessee will become the final state needed to ratify the 19th Amendment. 

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