LAST July 2nd, the Tony Award-winning musical “Suffs” was interrupted mid-performance by protesters holding up a banner that read “Suffs is a whitewash” and chanting “Suffs is a whitewash, cancel Suffs.”
The banner also had a link to a website entitled “www.RealSuffsHistory.org.”
When you go to the link, the first thing you’ll see is a statement that reads: “”SUFFS” is a betrayal of the next generation of feminists. We REJECT this rehashed white feminism. This action is brought to you by an autonomous group of radical, anti-racist, queer feminists.”
As per videos taken of the incident, the protest lasted about 20 seconds until protesters were ushered out of their seats and the banner was taken down.
A representative of the musical would later go on to explain that the safety of both the company members and patrons at the theater that night was not compromised despite what had happened.
MSN News also explained that the musical looks at the racism that went on during the suffragist movement and also includes the contributions made by black women to the fight for women’s rights to vote.
Why is this relevant? Just a few months prior to that incident, another Broadway musical, “An Enemy of the People,” was also disrupted by protesters. This time, it was a climate activist group repeatedly shouting “No theater on a dead planet!”
While it is unsure if this will become a continuing trend, some are on edge, waiting to see what show groups may disrupt next.
About Suffs
The musical “Suffs,” directed by Leigh Silverman, looks at the story of the women’s suffrage movement in America, wherein women fought for their right to vote in both the national and local elections.
It is co-produced by Former United States Secretary of State, Hilary Rodham Clinton, and Pakistani female education activist, Malala Yousafzai. The cast consists of the following:
- Shaina Taub as Alice Paul
- Nikki M. James as Ida B. Wells
- Jenn Colella as Carrie Chapman Catt
- Grace McLean as President Woodrow Wilson
- Hannah Cruz as Inez Milholland
- Kim Blanck as Ruza Webclawska
- Anastasia McCleskey as Mary Church Terrell
- Ally Bonino as Lucy Burns
- Tsilala Brock as Dudley Malone
- Nadia Dandashi as Doris Stevens
- Emily Skinner as Alva Belmont / Phoebe Burn
- Jaygee Macapugay as Mollie Hay
- Laila Drew as Phyllis Terrell / Robin
The book, music, and lyrics for the musical are done by Shaina Taub, an actress, singer, musician, and composer. The choreography is done by Mayte Natalio, a performer and theater choreographer.
It opened on Broadway just this year, last April 18, and has since gotten several award nominations, and has won the Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score.
The real story?
On their website, the protesters who disrupted “Suffs” explain that the musical’s main character, Alice Paul, actually excluded Black women from the National Woman’s Party up until after 1920, hence why many Black women had to create their own separate organizations.
They add that this bit of history is not included in the show.
They note that another character, Carrie Chapman Catt, had said that white supremacy would be strengthened by women’s suffrage. Again, this is nowhere to be seen in the musical.
They also point out that President Woodrow Wilson was extremely racist, and racially segregated agencies within the federal government.
Interracial relationships, which are a part of the musical’s plot, also wouldn’t have been allowed as they were often dealt with by others using violence.
They reiterate that this musical is a whitewashed version of history – that the reality of the fact is that the suffrage movement was a betrayal toward black women.
They write: “The whitewashing in the show is a dangerous lie because it reinforces several ideas: that the suffrage movement wasn’t deeply racist, that white women’s stories are more worthy of taking center stage, and that white women are always aligned with progressive causes.”
They further state that it is a fictional story comforting only to some white women, and could be dangerous due to possibly providing disinformation to future feminists.
