The National Broadway Tour of SUFFS: A Night to Remember
By Bonnie DeShong
Photo Credit: Joan Marcus, 2025
Ladies, have you ever thought about how easy it is for us to vote, open a bank account, or go wherever we like? There was a time when women were not allowed to do any of these things. They had to rely on men for everything. The National Broadway Tour of SUFFS dives into that past and brings to life the incredible journey women undertook to win the right to vote.
This show boasts a tremendously talented all-female cast who effortlessly switch between roles—including male characters, with strong voices and standout performances. The play kicks off in 1913, though the roots of the suffrage movement stretch back much further. We see the movement from various angles, including the older ladies led by Carrie Chapman Catt (played by Marya Grandy), who tries to rally support through traditional means like speeches, calling on their sons to “Let Mother Vote.”
Then there’s Alice Paul (played by Maya Keleher), energetic and impatient with any complacency. She proposes a bold march on the day of Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration, rallying her supporters to push for change.
That got my attention. In that same year, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority formed with a purpose aligned closely with equality, a cause close to my heart as a proud member since 1972. Soror Mary Church Terrell (Trisha Jeffrey) and her daughter Phyllis (Victoria Pekel) are depicted in the show, even amid objections from Southern women about Black and White women marching together.
The remarkable Danyel Fulton brings Ida B. Wells to life—a fierce journalist and activist, founder of the Alpha Suffrage Club, the first African American suffrage organization in Chicago, one of the founding members of the NAACP, and is very in your face in her approach to equality who never shied away from confronting inequality head-on. When she learns of plans to sideline Black women in the suffrage march, she stands her ground and belts out “Wait My Turn,” a show-stopper that has the audience roaring. Wells ensured she marched where she belonged in front of the Illinois delegation, not at the back of the line.
I spoke with Danyel Fulton about playing the role of Ida and what she learned about this iconic woman. She told me that as she, Danyel, was traveling the country, there was not one moment in her life that Ida was not in danger, and not a moment where she said that she was not going to speak up. She did not hold back on what she felt. Danyel went on to say, “So every time there is some kind of grievance, every time I walk out and say what is imagined to be her words in our show, I learn more about her plight and exactly what she was up against.. I experienced an iota of what she had to experience. And unfortunately, we’re still fighting, but it’s because of her that I can even tell her story. So, I can go on and on about what I’ve learned about her and how honored and humbled I am to play her.”
Alice Paul’s unwavering resolve for women’s equality shines through as she endures jail time, hunger strikes, and more. While the 19th Amendment was a victory, not all women reaped its benefits immediately. Black women and men did not obtain that right until the 1965 Voting Rights Act came into effect, which has been weakened by this administration. But that is another conversation for another day.
The show’s lyrics and book by Shaina Taub are both powerful and illuminating, with performances that perfectly capture their message. It is not only about voting but the right to love whomever you want. There’s an undeniable resonance with today’s social landscape.
The entire ensemble cast is so good and talented. The energy and conviction Maya Keleher brings to the role of Alice Paul is felt throughout the audience. Marya Grandy gives us the right amount of bougie conservatism of Carrie Chapman Catt. Her voice is beautiful and strong.
SUFFS is definitely a must-see. It is energizing, educational, funny, sparks awareness, and provides some understanding of what women during that time and now have had to endure.
Until next time, keep your EYE to the sky!