In its two hours and 30 minutes, Suffs delivers more than a retelling of the American suffrage movement. Sure, its content might help a student check off a bullet point on a history class syllabus.

But the musical, which saw its San Francisco premiere this week at the Orpheum Theatre and runs through Nov. 9, offers something much deeper and more valuable. It brings humanity to the names and faces behind the decades-long suffrage movement. In so doing, it delivers insight into a fight for rights that, unfortunately, resonates a century later.

Suffs first premiered in 2022 off-Broadway, starring Shaina Taub, the creator behind the book, music and lyrics. After making the leap to Broadway, it went on to win two Tony awards, for Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical, in 2024.

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