The Tony Award-winning musical “Suffs” arrives at The Phoenix Theatre Company’s Hormel Theatre this fall as a lesson in the courage of those who refused to wait for change.
Director Chelsea Anderson, who returned to Phoenix after stepping into a major leadership role in Indiana, said the musical hits her with the same force as it did when she first saw it.
She walked into a Broadway preview a few years ago with no expectations; within minutes, she was hooked.
“Within about 3 to 4 minutes, I was obsessed with the show,” she said. The music, humor and humanity pulled her in.
Written by Shaina Taub — the first woman to independently win Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score in the same season — “Suffs” is staged Wednesday, Oct. 14, to Sunday, Nov 29. The musical tells the story of the women who fought for the right to vote. Anderson said it’s not a political piece, but a story of ambition, tenacity and community.
MORE NEWS: Vote for the best Arizona companies for career growth
The show follows Alice Paul, portrayed in Phoenix by Cassie Chilton, whose bold, confrontational approach to securing suffrage clashes with the more traditional strategy of Carrie Chapman Catt, PhD.
Around them, audiences encounter figures often omitted from mainstream retellings: Ida B. Wells, Mary Church Terrell, Inez Milholland, Ruza Wenclawska, Lucy Burns, and Doris Stevens. Anderson loves that the musical introduces audiences to these women who worked tirelessly behind the scenes.
“We’re very familiar with the Susan B. Anthony side of that world, but this part of the world introduces us to all of these fantastic women who worked tirelessly for years to get suffrage passed,” she said.
Anderson finds herself pausing mid‑script, struck by how the writing mirrors her life. She traveled from Indiana to Phoenix for rehearsals, and even on the trip, she stopped at lines that spoke directly to her.
“Even the simplest language on the page can have a really big impact because it’s something that comes from someone who understands,” she said.
“The writer is a woman; she’s gone through a lot of struggles in her own life and her own ways, as we all have. And being able to get that into the text, I think, is palpable for both the artist and the audience enjoying it.”
Though “Suffs” is centered on women, Anderson said men will find just as much meaning in it. She points to the character Dudley, a White House staffer who undergoes a quiet but powerful shift simply by listening. His arc, she said, reflects how anyone, regardless of gender, can support others.
“There’s something for everybody in the show,” she said. “It’s hilarious, it’s heartwarming, and it shows both the struggle and the triumph of all that work. I hope folks don’t see it as a political piece, but they see it as a piece about community and coming together.”
