The luscious, exquisite harmonies come in many forms, whether they be sleek two-parters or vast expanses that showcase infinite layers of tonal majesty. The mellifluous voices carry a lovely, velvety texture, but don’t be fooled. The sound is fueled by rage, from women unsettled by just merely existing for others to decide their fate.
It is their time to rip down the establishment.
The passionate musical “Suffs,” running through Nov. 9 at BroadwaySF’s Orpheum Theatre, is about fighting for your life in 1913 with zero guarantee of victory.
Shaina Taub is the multi-hyphenate dynamo responsible for the show’s book, music and lyrics, in a production that has gone through some critical growth since its original off-Broadway run. The show does not shy away from drawing direct lines to today’s Constitution-shredding destruction of democratic and societal norms. This is done with Taub’s sheer skills with the song styles varying from strong recitatives to insightful arias and battle cries. Along with fantastic director Leigh Silverman’s distinctly smooth staging, the show’s evolution is clear.
Alice Paul (Maya Keleher) is running out of patience with a national women’s suffrage association and its leader Carrie Chapman Catt (Marya Grandy), waiting for state-by-state permission to grab what should have already been theirs. Being young and idealistic is Paul’s superpower, and the fire in her belly inspires others to join her new organization, the National Women’s Party. These young revolutionaries include college chum Lucy Burns (Annalese Fusaro), socialite Inez Milholland (Monica Tulia Ramirez) Polish organizer Ruza Wenclawska (Anna Bakun), and college student Doris Stevens (Livvy Marcus) as the group’s secretary.
Despite Alice’s best intentions, her blind spots can be glaring and harmful. A critical march the day before Woodrow Wilson’s presidential inauguration hinged on state delegations to segregate White women and Black women as participants, causing renowned journalist Ida B. Wells (Danyel Fulton) to lay into Paul’s willing compromises and dismissiveness.
There are many aspects of the story that work smartly and efficiently. The production’s smartest choices come from its point of view. This is not a story where women battle the men, but struggle within themselves, trying to figure out the most cogent way forward. “How will we do it when it’s never been done, how will we find a way where there isn’t one,” as the group sings in “Find a Way.” The desire to stand on the correct side of history is a heavy motivator.
Those imperfections apply to the conflicts within Paul, masterfully interpreted by Keleher. The role is loaded with range, each moment pushing a specific, nuanced emotional demand. Paul’s youth and vigor comes with lots of risk, the work of prior revolutionaries threatened to be set back many years.
The business of changing the world is not just loaded with brooding brutality and the willingness to shed blood at every obstacle. Levity as a storytelling device carries its share of joy. The charm of Marcus’ performance as the wide-eyed Doris culminates in the absolute horror she feels when called a bitch. Yet for these women who are constantly being told much worse, it’s a badge worthy of the highest honors. Songs like “Great American Bitch” provide both an unapologetic feminism along with an ever-present wit and hilarity, while “Show Them Who You Are” and “Insane” play like anthems from women who are ready to fight hard. Not to be outdone, Fulton’s Wells captures the fury and complication in “Wait My Turn,” where Black women are reminded that unified progress moves at a different speed for them.
Ramirez’s Milholland takes the fight to the opponent on her terms, with even more charm exuded by Wilson’s chief of staff Dudley Field Malone (Abigail Aziz) as he and Doris see a relationship begin to blossom.
History and progress rarely follow a straight line. “How long must women wait for liberty” is one of the many questions the musical asks. The show is dedicated to the sacrifices made by the suffragettes — hunger strikes, blood on the brow, bodies collapsing from exhaustion — but what’s not to be forgotten is that mothers, daughters and sisters were there for legacy. When all was said and done, the 19th amendment was there. But unless the fight continues, those inalienable rights may just disappear.
‘SUFFS’
Book, music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, presented by BroadwaySF
Through: Nov. 9
Where: Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St., San Francisco
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes with an intermission
Tickets: $84.24-$274.95; broadwaysf.com
