Review: SUFFS Rouses and Inspires at Benedum Center

"So this is the way the world ends," I couldn't help but think as I picked up my ticket for the CLO- sponsored tour stop of Suffs. After eighty years, the much-discussed Pittsburgh professional theatre merger may well mean that this is the last show to ever carry Pittsburgh CLO branding. It's weird to see the end of something that felt endless, and still not be sure what's coming next. But that sense of ambiguity, hope and cynicism is, in a way, central to Suffs. 

Set over the course of the 1910s, the musical tells the story of a group of female suffragists (not suffragettes, as they'll repeatedly remind you): idealistic young organizer Alice Paul (Maya Keleher), socialite Inez Milholland (Monica Tulia Ramirez), political activist Ruza Wenclawska (Joyce Meimei Zheng) and their reluctant ally, civil rights pioneer Ida B. Wells (Danyel Fulton). Over approximately eight years, this cadre of independent thinkers and passionate believers in democracy fought, protested and petitioned for the right of women to vote, but are hindered every step of the way by President Woodrow Wilson (Jenny Ashman). Even when (spoiler) the right to vote is secured, the fight isn't over, as a flash-forward to the seventies proves.

Suffs can be called one of the first true offpsring of Hamilton on two different planes. First, the stylistic and structural influence of Lin-Manuel Miranda's historical epic can be felt through the show's montage heavy structure, its use of classical, musical theatre and contemporary pop sounds, and even the use of "look it up, this is real" asides and a fourth-wall-breaking, vaudevillian antagonist. Second, Suffs began its life as a star vehicle for a multi-hyphenate genius of a writer/composer/performer, this time Shaina Taub. Stepping into the shoes of someone who created not just a role, but a show, can be a daunting task, and luckily Maya Keleher is more than up for it. Her voice is extraordinary, and her ability to portray Alice as gawky, idealistic youth, seasoned reformer and then elder stateswoman of the movement is a masterful feat.

Surrounding Keleher are a whole posse of equally gifted talents. Monica Tulia Ramirez makes for a saucy and passionate presence as Inez, the bon vivant whose ability to be a center of attention is turned to good when she becomes the face of the movement. Danyel Fulton's Ida can bring an entire audience to shocked silence, and Joyce Meimei Zheng manages to remain grounded as Ruza while also functioning as the suffrage movement's comic relief figure. On the other end of the spectrum, Jenny Ashman makes Woodrow Wilson a more complex figure than the approximate role of King George III: at once a buffoon, a huckster, a schemer and an outright tyrant, Ashman puppets the smiling, glad-handing present like he's George W. Bush playing the Wizard in a regional production of Wicked. It's the sort of role you absolutely love to hate, all the way to his (her?) shameless, mugging exit,  a perfect star vehicle for a great singing comedian.

Normally, I'd say you have to be a complete contrarian to dislike this show or its central message, but... sadly, there is a growing movement to repeal the nineteenth amendment, and perhaps ALL rights-granting amendments to the Constitution. Everything is in flux, not just theatre, which means that the fight to be heard will continue, whether we want it to or not. There's no time for rest, not yet- keep marching.

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