Suffs Review by Finbar Kelly

 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 leaning forward in my seat during several scenes, especially as the tension between different factions of the movement started to grow.

The performances are consistently strong, but what stood out most to me was how real the characters felt. These weren’t distant historical figures, they felt like actual people with conflicting ideas, frustrations, and hopes. Especially the performance of Maya Keleher as the main character Alice Paul, and Danyel Fulton as Ida B. Wells. Rather than just thinking “this is impressive,” I caught myself getting emotionally invested in the lives of these trailblazing women.

One of the most powerful aspects of Suffs is how it doesn’t present the suffrage movement as simple or unified. The show explores disagreements between activists and highlights the different strategies they believed would lead to success. Watching these conflicts play out live was surprisingly intense. At one point, I could feel a kind of tension in my chest as the arguments escalated, it wasn’t just interesting, it was uncomfortable in a way that made the story feel more honest.

The music is another highlight of the production. The songs are memorable without feeling repetitive, and they do a great job of pushing the story forward. There were a couple of moments where the combination of music and performance gave me chills, especially during the larger ensemble numbers such as “The March (We Demand Equality).” Those scenes felt almost overwhelming in the best way, like the emotion on stage was spilling out into the audience.

Overall, Suffs is a thoughtful and engaging production that balances historical storytelling with emotional depth. What makes it stand out isn’t just its message, but how it makes you feel while watching it. By the end of the show, I wasn’t just impressed; I felt genuinely moved, and even a little more aware of the struggles behind rights that are often taken for granted. It’s the kind of musical that stays with you long after you leave the theater.