Critical Review at Hennepin Arts

  Watching Suffs felt like stepping into a history book that was alive. The struggles, arguments, and victories of the women’s suffrage movement weren’t just facts on a page, they were real people fighting, laughing, and crying right in front of me. Suffs , playing at The Orpheum until April 12th, tells the story of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States, focusing on the fight to secure the right to vote in the early 20th century. While it’s rooted in history, the production feels incredibly immediate, as if the story is unfolding in the moment rather than something that happened over a century ago. From the moment the show begins, there’s a strong sense of energy and urgency. The staging is fairly minimal, but it works in the show’s favor because it keeps the focus on the characters and their mission. Instead of elaborate sets, the production uses lighting and movement to shift between moments, which makes everything feel fast-paced and purposeful. I found myself lean...

When I saw Chicago and Les Mis this past winter, I was almost uncomfortable by how the shows related so much to today's world, especially with them being written so long ago. I had an idea going in that Suffs would be the same. However, it didn't feel uncomfortable at all;it felt more powerful, sending a message of strength and courage to its audience. It is about the American women's suffrage movement between 1913 and 1920, and the fight for the passage of the 19th Amendment. It specifically follows Alice Paul and her contribution to the movement and her work founding the National Woman's Party. Maya Keleher’s interpretation of Alice Paul is very impressive. From the very beginning, there is a strange intensity about the character, always trying to work harder, to do the next thing, to keep working towards her goal. As the show goes on, specifically in Act II, you can see her slow down as her character ages and then reflects on her life. Another favorite was Abigail A...

Whatever you do, do not call them “Suffragettes.” As Doris, played by a sweet Amanda Lopez, tells us in Suffs , that word was meant to make the women advocating for the right to vote seem small and unserious. Like dolls that you pat on the head and then put away where they are neither seen, nor heard, Suffs , the Tony-winning musical playing now through April 12 at the Orpheum Theater, reminds us that the women who fought for the 19th Amendment were nothing of the sort. They were brave, bold, and strategic.  Suffs shines with an all-female cast. Even the two male characters, Dudley Molone and President Woodrow Wilson, were portrayed by crowd-favorites Brandi Porter and Jenny Ashman, respectively. Ashman’s portrayal of President Wilson made him seem like a slimy politician, which was great acting because I found President Wilson to be extremely frustrating. One song, “Let Mother Vote (Reprise)” used President Wilson’s own words to highlight his indifference about whether women got ...