The first night of the Democratic National Convention took place August 19 in Chicago. Among the speaker lineups were President Joe Biden, Senator Raphael Warnock, House Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, TV president from Scandal Tony Goldwyn, and Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. For her speech, Clinton spoke not just in support for Vice President Kamala Harris for President, she also quoted the Broadway musical Suffs. Clinton is a producer on the show.
"The story of my life and the history of our country is that progress is possible, but not guaranteed. We have to fight for it and never, ever give up," she told the crowd. The phrase "progress is possible, not guaranteed" is part of the final song in Suffs, "Keep Marching," written by Shaina Taub.
But it was not just a coincidence. Clinton went on to reference the musical two other times—Suffs details the fight for the 19th Amendment which gave women the right to vote. She talked about how, in the fight for women's suffrage, Tennessee was the deciding state. "Tennessee became the final state to ratify the 19th Amendment to the Constitution," said Clinton. "The state legislature was deadlocked until one lawmaker’s mother, a widow who read three newspapers a day, sent a letter—a letter to her son. 'No more delays,' she wrote. 'Give us the vote.'”
That moment is dramatized in Suffs in the song "Letter From Harry's Mother."
Clinton, who was the first female presidential candidate on a major party ticket, ended her speech with: "I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment, that we were here and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way." The phrase, "I want my great granddaughter to know I was here" is a line in the Suffs song "The March (We Demand Equality)."
Clinton's full DNC speech can be viewed here.
Suffs is currently running now at the Music Box Theatre. It is the winner of two Tony Awards, for Best Book and Best Score, making Taub the first woman to win for both Book of a Musical and Score on her own. The show is currently commemorating the anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, as well as Women's Equality Day, with several celebrations held August 18-26, including a get-out-the-vote initiative.
Taub stars in her own musical as Alice Paul, alongside Tony winner Nikki M. James as Ida B. Wells, Tony nominee Jenn Colella as Carrie Chapman Catt, Grace McLean as President Woodrow Wilson, Hannah Cruz as Inez Milholland, Kim Blanck as Ruza Wenclawska, Anastacia McCleskey as Mary Church Terrell, Ally Bonino as Lucy Burns, Tsilala Brock as Dudley Malone, Nadia Dandashi as Doris Stevens, and Tony nominee Emily Skinner as Alva Belmont/Phoebe Burn.
Director Leigh Silverman is at the helm, leading a creative team that includes music supervisor and music director Andrea Grody, choreographer Mayte Natalio, scenic designer Riccardo Hernández, costume designer Paul Tazewell, lighting designer Lap Chi Chu, sound designer Jason Crystal, and orchestrator Michael Starobin. 101 Productions is the general manager.
Visit SuffsMusical.com.
Jenn Colella and company of Suffs
Jenn Colella in Suffs
Nikki M. James in Suffs
Grace McLean in Suffs
Hannah Cruz in Suffs
Emily Skinner in Suffs
Jenn Colella and Shaina Taub in Suffs
Company of Suffs
Tsilala Brock and Grace McLean in Suffs
Kim Blanck and company of Suffs
Hannah Cruz and company of Suffs
Anastacia McCleskey, Laila Erica Drew, and Nikki M.James in Suffs
Nikki M. James and company of Suffs
Shaina Taub in Suffs
