Broadway Review: SUFFS - Bored and Confused 23/24 Season

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In this theater review, I'll be taking you through the latest Broadway opening, “Suffs”: The Musical.” We'll explore the show's storyline, characters, and music, looking at both its strengths and weaknesses. From the historical themes to the blending of different musical styles, we'll discuss what works and what doesn't. By the end, you'll have a balanced understanding of "SUFFS" and its relevance today, particularly in regards to voting rights and civic engagement. So, let's dive in and see what this musical has to offer.

Опубликовано:

11 окт 2024

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Комментарии : 35

@danielleroberts8252 13 дней назад

I just saw it on a business trip to NYC this past week and absolutely loved it. I wasn't bored or confused and I loved the switching of the song styles to match the generational differences and conflict building there. I was inspired to research more about these real women afterward because I had never heard of any of them. I was okay with the Wilson portrayal because they were portraying him through the lens of this movement and how he treated them. I do agree that I was curious about how they resolved the race issue with the southern delegation, but I get that they can't explain everything in 2.5 hours from a decades-long issue. I have the soundtrack stuck in my head and would love to see it again.

@MatthewHardyMusical 12 дней назад

Thanks for sharing Danielle! Glad you loved it! I also went online to learn more about these amazing women after I saw the show. It's great that it inspires people to learn more about American history.

@AKMorehouse 5 месяцев назад

While I get where you are coming from with how Suffs portrays Wilson, I look at the portrayal as how Paul and the other younger Suffs participating in the National Women’s Party (NWP) viewed president Wilson. Yes he was president, but he was sexist and racist and a person women like Paul knew they couldn’t trust. Grace McLean does a perfect job illustrating how slimy/ untrustworthy Wilson was for Paul and other women in the NWP.

@MatthewHardyMusical 5 месяцев назад

Grace McLean is a comedic force. I forgave it because I love her performance. The issue was that the shift in tone pulled me out of the show for a second while I recalibrated. 😊

@yankee04 5 месяцев назад

Disagree. The contemporary style and change from the earlier song were to show the contradiction in approaches toward suffrage. The differences in generations. Lack of romance was not an issue. The story is not about that! What’s wrong with being single? Some of the women did sacrifice relationships. The TN vote actually happened. Wilson was not a great man. The League of Nations failed… Suffs was amazing! Loved it. A story that is overdue.

@MatthewHardyMusical 5 месяцев назад

Thanks for the comment! Glad you loved the show. I enjoyed it as well. Everyone should go see it and join in the discussion. :-)

@olive6679 5 месяцев назад

I saw it a couple weekends ago and I think due to the large amount of time that passed, some things were mentioned that couldn't be followed through. I agree with that choice because there were parts of hamilton that were tedious to me because of the detail, resulting in what felt like an overly long show to me. I think suffs is a good conversation starter similar to six. It inspires the audience to research. I enjoyed it a lot as i saw a couple off-Broadway shows that disappointed me. I didn't know going in it was all female cast. I chose suffs based off the medley video released on playbill. I would be interested to see more of shaina's work.

@MatthewHardyMusical 5 месяцев назад

I first became aware of Shaina when her band opened for Bill Irwin and David Shiners “Old Hats” off Broadway. I loved her songs and performance.

@plumskiter 4 месяца назад

I saw Lempicka on a Friday night and Suffs the following night. Found Suffs to be much better all the way around. For me, one of the most important comparisons is that Suffs was very true to the historical record (tho you make good points about how Wilson was presented), whereas Lempicka was not in the least historically accurate. Loved Suffs. Love Lempicka’s art but the musical not so much, because it bore little similarity to her real life story.

@MatthewHardyMusical 4 месяца назад

Thanks for sharing! I think Suffs really benefitted from an off broadway production at the Public before they came to Broadway. I don't mind historical inaccuracies for dramatic effect. But when the main conceit of the show is made up (Lempicka's 2 great loves) then I think it's hard for an audience to fully get on board.

@JosephNYC66 5 месяцев назад

I loved this show but didn't love the physical production. It has, what I call, good bones...meaning the book and score are fantastic. The costumes were fabulous but the sets were lacking. It was kinda ugly to look at.

@MatthewHardyMusical 5 месяцев назад

I wish the costumes and sets weren't so literal. They're singing in contemporary styles of music so I think the rest of the production would benefit from a more modern sensibilities.

@fairamir1 3 месяца назад

Finally listened to the whole show. I found the score generic.Nothing really memorable.

@AnnaR-x9x 3 месяца назад

I don't think it's fair to call the anti-war position "wrong," especially as you're basing that on what modern historians know. It's easy to look back and judge, but the people of the time couldn't have known how American involvement would turn out for this war that had already lasted longer than Europeans thought it would. And even if it was geopolitically "the right choice,” it’s no small thing to send your loved one off to war! In every wartime there have been people who don’t believe this is the best solution. The musical doesn't mention it, but Alice Paul was Quaker, which is a pacifist religion that works toward nonviolent methods of conflict resolution.

@MatthewHardyMusical 3 месяца назад

I didn’t know Alice was a Quaker. Interesting! And you’re 100% correct that the characters don’t have the hindsight that we have now. Real people are complex characters filled with contradictions. Thx for the comment.

@retrac2w Месяц назад

WW1 is also a lot more complicated morally than WW2. US war aims were principally economic, to ensure all the $$$ lent to the Entente got paid back. German submarine attacks were a legitimate complaint, but so were the British blockade and US shipping and selling of arms. P.S. Wilson sux, see vlogging through history

@MatthewHardyMusical Месяц назад

Thanks for the comment @AnnaR-x9x Interesting fact that Alice was a Quaker. I think anytime a historical piece is presented for a modern audience some adjustments need to be made for modern sensibility. For example, racist and sexist language was common and accepted in the past, but you wouldn't want to include that kind of language in the dialogue for your lead character for fear of losing sympathy for your character. But your point is well taken!

@MatthewHardyMusical Месяц назад

@@retrac2w Yeh I think my views on Wilson aren't as negative as most because I wrote a show where his actions were aligned with my lead character. He was definitely a racist even by the standards of the time. And he dropped the ball at the Paris Peace Conference. But it is speculated that he was suffering from the Spanish Flu at the time. I'll check out VTH! It's ironic that suffrage is on the positive list of Wilson's accomplishments because he was the President that signed it into law.

@lauram9889 5 месяцев назад

Wow, I couldn't sit through it. Each to their own

@MatthewHardyMusical 5 месяцев назад

You walked out?!

@RWM07001 5 месяцев назад

I thought it was a good idea but think it needs to go back to the drawing board.

@jojones6069 5 месяцев назад

That was a ridiculous comment. Your misogyny is showing. You must lean to the right, darlin’

@RWM07001 5 месяцев назад

@@jojones6069 Not liking something doesn't mean its ok to go after my gender. Classy comment.

@MatthewHardyMusical 5 месяцев назад

@@jojones6069 Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Please keep the discussion civil.

@glory2godholy257 4 месяца назад

where are the “Women” of Color?? I was thinking about traveling to see this play,but it seems to have certain overtones that I don’t want to see. Thanks for your review.

@MatthewHardyMusical 4 месяца назад

@@glory2godholy257 There is a sub plot that involves Ida B Wells and Mary Church Terrell and their different approaches to woman's suffrage and the particular discrimination that woman of color faced. Nicki M James gets a great song called "Wait My Turn". I think you should check it out and let me know what you think of how women of color are represented in the play.

@jojones6069 5 месяцев назад

This Musical knocked me out! It’s historic, it’s inspiring, it’s “funny”, its cast is phenomenal. Too bad you’re so damn confused. Your review confuse me ! Suffs has some dynamite songs whether or not you were confused about the different styles, boo-hoo. The only song in Hamilton that anyone remembers is “You’ll be back” Your review was a backhanded complement . Shame on you.

@MatthewHardyMusical 5 месяцев назад

I'm glad you loved it! I think everyone should go see it and join in the conversation.