Pixie Dust Players to Present SUFFS JR. In West Orange
Performances start December 13.
Fresh from Broadway, the musical based on suffragists and the American women's suffrage movement, has been reimagined for young performers as Pixie Dust Players presents Suffs Jr., running Dec. 12 through the 21 at the JCC Metrowest.
Suffs is a musical with music, lyrics, and a book by Shaina Taub focusing primarily on the historical events leading up to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920 that gave some women the right to vote.
Less than a year after the Broadway production's final bow, Suffs Jr. has arrived at the JCC with two casts, ages 6-18, ready to bring the Tony Award winning musical to life in a new form.
Pixie Dust Players founder and Suffs Jr. director Lindsay Maron is no stranger to pilot productions. Having directed and produced offerings like Children of Eden Jr., How to Train Your Dragon Jr., Trolls Jr., and Prince of Egypt Jr. to name a few.
But the difficulty level of the show, which was workshopped over the summer before entering the pilot stage, was a unique challenge for her young performers. One Maron said they handled well.
"We expected the cast to struggle with the complexity of the music. However, we have been completely blown away by how well they have picked it up from the difficult harmonies to the sung through scenes," Maron said. "This is probably the strongest pilot vocally that we have ever produced."
The show highlights the internal conflicts, including generational and racial divides, within the suffragist movement as different women fought for the right to vote. The women of the American suffragist movement ("Suffs" for short) were brilliant, but as they fought tirelessly for the right to vote, they were also flawed, stubborn, passionate and funny. Suffs tells their story: the remarkable friendships, the heartbreak, and how this movement brought them together - or, in some cases, tore them apart.
But despite the dense historical subject matter, Maron maintains the show moves briskly.
"There was a strong book and score to pull from. This adaptation is story driven and does a really strong job of moving through the plot at a compelling speed without sacrificing the character development," Maron said. "One fun challenge about the show in general is that it moves very quickly so it's been exciting to find ways to keep the flow while making sure the story is being clearly told."
The adaptation was created by the team at iTheatrics and Shaina Taub, who wrote, produced and starred in the Broadway show. And Maron says the piece being hard has made the show better.
"This is a more complex junior title than others in the catalogue but I think it's because it is challenging that the kids are so motivated to rise to that challenge," she said. "They appreciate the complexity and understand the importance of what they've been tasked with and it's been a joy to see them reach new heights."
The show runs Saturday Dec. 13, Friday, Dec. 19 and Saturday, Dec. 20 at 7:30 p.m. and matinees on Sunday, Dec. 14 and Sunday Dec. 21 at 2 p.m. The show will also have a Monday, Dec. 15 performance at 8 p.m. All performances will be held at the JCC MetroWest Maurice Levin Theater.
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