Suffs musical on suffragettes opens on Broadway amid producer controversy

The new Broadway musical Suffs, which chronicles the women's suffrage campaign in the United States from 1913 to the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, opened in March 2024. Written by Shaina Taub, who also stars as Alice Paul, the show premiered Off Broadway at the Public Theatre in 2022 before being partially rewritten for its Broadway transfer. The production boasts a predominantly female cast and an all-female lead producer team, including former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai. This pairing has sparked controversy due to Clinton's hawkish foreign policy record and her alleged complicity in the Gaza war, contrasted with Yousafzai's public support for a ceasefire. Critics argue the collaboration highlights a sanitized, bipartisan feminism that sidelines intersectionality. Despite the backlash, Suffs has seen strong advance sales, ranking among the top 10 of 36 Broadway shows for seat occupancy a week before opening, a positive sign in an election year.