Suffs shines with a timely tale

Writer Shaina Taub covers a great deal of territory surrounding the women's suffrage movement in the musical Suffs. Currently running in Chicago at the CIBC Theatre, Suffs is the story of a decades-long battle to secure women's rights. The fight continues to this day for equal pay, reproductive rights and overall global gender equality.

The musical Suffs starts in 1913 at the National American Woman Suffrage Association Convention, where Carrie Chapman Catt delivers a song, “Let Mother Vote.” A young activist named Alice Paul is inspired to organize a march to pressure President Woodrow Wilson for federal support of voting rights for women. The movement grows and overcomes many obstacles in its way.

Alice and her group suffered prison time before eventually seeking the Nineteenth Amendment. Every victory comes with more strife until Alice encourages others to continue her work in the future with the song “Keep Marching.”

Along the way, important figures from this time period are showcased and highlighted for modern audiences.

The national tour brings this important message to Chicago in a cast filled with conviction. Gender bending roles and a diverse cast work well together to convey the tale told by women. Lesbians play an important part and the song “Great American Bitch” is about owning a derogatory term, much like queer is today.

Racism is another tough topic to tackle within the text and Danyel Fulton portrays Ida B. Wells with a powerful performance that reached the rafters in the back of the room.

The running time is long and could have been shortened by trimming down certain segments. The advantage of doing this cut would allow the modern scenes to arrive faster and hammer home the connection to current times.

It's impossible to watch Suffs inside the venue and ignore the political climate outside. Women voters turned out in higher numbers than men did in the 2024 election, which has led men to try to stop women from returning to the ballot box in upcoming elections.

Women who didn't vote need to see this musical and take heed to never squander a chance to vote.

Suffs is not for the complacent and may encourage future generations to become activists. It's a cautionary true tale about what can be taken away and how fragile an individual's rights can be. No matter who a person is, they will most likely find something to relate to in Suffs.

March over to the CIBC Theatre, 18 West Monroe Street, by July 19, 2026, before Suffs moves on to other territories. For tickets, visit broadwayinchicago.com.