If there's any doubt as to how much an appreciative audience can lift up a show, go see Suffs. Not only was there applause in the theater, but also whooping for joy, and long, sustained clapping, rarely heard in an adult presentation.
This is the story of the Women's Rights movement. Although Hillary Rodham Clinton is one of the producers, we were all a bit disappointed that she didn't come out for a bow at the end. What we did see was the triumph of women working together to get the right to vote. This struggle seems especially apt right now, with states being given the power to decide what should purely be the province of individual women. Abortion, contraception, being able to use frozen eggs or embryos to get pregnant...these are private, not government, matters.
The scenes of women starving for the cause, then being force-fed with tubes down their noses and throats, is almost too difficult to see. While the production has faced controversy because even the males who are involved are played by women, I had no problem with this, largely because the entire cast is so superb; there's not a weak link in the chain.
While It's almost impossible to single out a performer for being good, better, best, I have a soft spot in my heart for Jenn Colella as Carrie Chapman Catt. Her performance in Come From Away has stayed with me long after that musical closed.
Bless Emily Skinner for dedicating her wonderful performance to her mother. On a private note, as one who is currently wheelchair bound, I loved seeing a sister "wheely" onstage.
The talent, power, and unmistakable dedication that's gone into this show make it a "must see" for the women who are still fighting the Good Fight. And for the men who care about them.
