Review: SUFFS at Des Moines Performing Arts

In a time on Broadway where so many shows are based on familiar IP, it's refreshing to have a new story come to the stage. In 2022, Suffs opened on Broadway at The Public Theatre, and then kept marching to Broadway, and now it is marching across the US. While the show is based on the suffragists' fight to secure the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, it is anything but dated. It reminds us that the fight for voting rights continues today, inspiring hope and a sense of ongoing importance for the audience.

The story of "Suffs" begins when Alice Paul, a suffragist, approaches Carrie Chapman Catt to organize a march for women's right to vote. When Catt, who's been a longtime member of the National American Women's Suffrage Association (NAWSA), says they should secure suffrage by gaining approval slowly, state by state, Paul decides to organize a march in Washington, D.C. The show's story continues through the ratification of the 19th Amendment, but leaves the audience with a profound question. How much are we willing to fight for, and when do we step aside and let the new generation of fighters take the lead?

You can't talk about "Suffs" without talking about the Tony Award-winning book and score by Shaina Taub. While the show's primary story is about the fight for women's right to vote in the country, Taub has layered the story in ways that invite us to take a deeper look. One of those is looking at how different generations approach fighting for an issue. Over the course of this show, we see three generations, each faced with when to push forward and when to step aside and let another lead. One thing I appreciated is that the show also examines the scope of what was actually won in the end. While women got the right to vote, it would be another 45 years before all African American women were ensured the right to vote.

"Suffs" is very purposeful in deciding which part of the show they consider most important. For them, it is the story being told, so it doesn't require a flashy set or costumes. It still has a beautiful but slightly flawed set by Riccardo Hernández and tour scenic designer Christine Peters. The flaws, for me, came when backdrops stretched across the stage, but you could see visible wrinkles in them. There were also some transitions where, once the set was in place and the scene started, you could still see lights behind the piece and people leaving the stage. One element of the tech I loved was the lighting in Lap Chi Chu and its use for shadows and silhouettes.

As with any show, "Suffs" wouldn't be the success it is without an extremely talented cast leading the way. Narrowing down which cast members to talk about is nearly impossible. So I've decided to look at the characters and what the voices they represent in the story. For our opening night performance, the role of Alice Paul was played by Jenna Lea Rosen. She brought a fire and passion to Alice that made you root for her no matter how many times she got pushed down. It wasn't until after the show, when I was looking at the call board, that I realized she was an understudy. Marya Grandy delivered a stoic yet reserved performance as Carrie Chapman Catt, fitting for the leader of the older generation who wasn't quite ready to let the next generation take over. Danyel Fulton brought the pain of a voice not being heard to Ida B. Wells.

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