Suffs

Phoenix Theatre Company

Hormel Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, October 25, 2026

Reviewed by Lynn Timmons Edwards

There was something inspiring about being a part of this show (you don’t just watch, you live it) on one’s grandmother’s birthday. Mary Matheny was born in Ohio in 1892, which made her eleven when this story opens, and she was among the first generation of American women to cast a vote in the 1920s. She played a big part in my growing up, and I regret that we never talked about being born into a country where women could not vote.

Suffs—with book, music, and lyrics by Shaina Taub—was absolutely a story worth telling. Phoenix Theatre Company mounts Broadway musicals that rival any in NYC or on national tour. The casting was formidable; each female character was a believable person of history, and the actresses had a perfect Broadway belt that was crisp, articulate, forward, and never shrill. They performed with a live orchestra of twelve musicians led by music director Alan J. Plado and were in the hands of sound designer Ashton Michael Corey and his staff. I was seated in the back row and never missed a lyric. The energy and pace of this production created a flawless account of moments in history—some funny, some poignant, and always inspiring.

The cast featured seventeen female actors. Each delivered a polished and professional performance of seamless dialogue, song, and movement. Some were veterans of PTC, like Cassie Chilton as Alice Paul. To her credit, I did not recognize her as she portrayed her period character. Fatima El-Basher made her PTC debut as Ida B. Wells and was a vocal standout. Another delightful newbie to the PTC family was Annalese Fusaro as Inez Milholland; she was fresh from working as a swing/understudy on the Suffs national tour.

I have one bone to pick with the creator of Suffs, which has bothered me since I saw the show in previews on Broadway. What is the point of casting women in the male roles of Woodrow Wilson and his assistant Dudley Malone? They were real people, and having women in drag distracted from the story telling. Was it for comic relief? Was it to give an actress a challenge (which was met in spades by Jane Bunting as Wilson and Madison Norwood as Malone)? There is no award that I know of for an “all women” production, and I think those two characters could be portrayed more effectively by male actors.

The other outstanding and unique element of the PTC production was the set design of Yoon Bae. My first reaction was “what is that big black thing in the middle of the stage?” But as I studied it, I fell in love with its simplicity and symbolism of connecting the past to the future: the hills that the suffragists had to climb over for seven decades and the chair at the top, which is yet to be filled by a woman. Bae’s sculpture and a few rolling gates and pieces of office furniture were all that was needed to tell the story from the opening scene in 1913 to 1920 when Tennessee was the last state to ratify, which led to the 19th Amendment being adopted into the U.S. Constitution in 1920. Phoebe Burn in “A Letter from Harry’s Mother,” which swayed the deciding vote, did not leave a dry eye in the house. Three cheers to Producing Artistic Director Michael Barnard for mounting Suffs as part of PTC’s 2026/27 season, to the cast and creative staff led by director Chelsea Anderson, and to all the PTC patrons who are bringing their children and grandchildren to experience this musical. Suffs runs through November 29, and the weather in Phoenix is beautiful this time of year.