Review: SUFFS at Providence Performing Arts Center

White Women in the United States didn’t earn the right to vote until 1920, and Black women weren’t allowed to vote until 1965.  This shocking history and the effort it took for women to secure these rights is something many of us didn’t learn in school, but thankfully the musical Suffs is here to fill in those gaps, along with some fantastic songs and affecting moments.  One of the most enjoyable aspects of this production is that it doesn’t shy away from the messiness that is human history.  Women began asking for the vote in the 1840s, and it was not one woman who made it happen.  It was many women, many strategies, and the work never ends.  This may make it sound depressing or finger-waggy, but especially at this moment in time, seeing ordinary people affect massive change that benefits all of us is inspiring and hopeful.

The main action of this story revolves around three women–Carrie Chapman Catt, head of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA); Alice Paul, head of the National Woman’s Party, and Ida B. Wells, one of the co-founders of the NAACP.  They share a common goal, but diverge in how to accomplish it.  Catt (Marya Grandy) is very prim and ladylike.  NAWSA’s suffrage campaign is “Let Mother Vote”, and revolves around asking nicely and trying to have a cup of tea and conversation with leaders who control their fate.  Alice Paul (Maya Keleher) subscribes to the more direct approach of marching in the street and protesting at the White House gates.  Ida B. Wells (Danyel Fulton), probably best known as an investigative journalist, understands that working with white women will not necessarily get Black women the vote, but progress is made in incremental steps.

The entire cast is phenomenal, and even though there are a couple male characters–Woodrow Wilson and his Secretary of State Dudley Malone, all the parts are played by women, which adds an extra layer of fun and humor.  Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, this show is also genuinely funny, and manages to walk the line deftly between humor and gravity without giving the audience emotional whiplash.  Even as the women are trying to accomplish something that feels impossible, they never lose their humanity.  Through marches, months-long protest, and hunger strikes, they remain committed to their goal, and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

Seeing Suffs feels like experiencing the most powerful aspects of live theatre.  You learn, you’re entertained and sharing a collective moment with a room full of strangers.  It feels important, and I’m so glad this show exists.

Suffs is at Providence Performings Arts Center through January 25.  Tickets at ppacri.org.

Photo: Monica Tulia Ramirez (Inez Milholland) and company in the First National Touring Company of SUFFS. Photo by Joan Marcus, 2025.