Women's stories take stage

Shaina Taub's musical 'Suffs,' making its L.A. premiere, recounts a suffragist history that's all too relevant

- JESSICA GELT

JUSTIN JUN LEE For The Times SHAINA TAUB won two Tonys for her production, a story of the movement for women's votes. She wrote the book, lyrics and music.

S haina Taub is only the second woman, after Micki Grant, to star in a Broadway musical for which she also wrote the book, music and lyrics. Her show "Suffs," which is about the women's suffrage movement leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, opens Tuesday at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre as part of its inaugural national tour.

"None of this was ever promised," said Taub in a Zoom call from her dressing room at New York's Lincoln Center, where she is currently starring as Emma Goldman in "Ragtime." "It's so rare that a show gets to Broadway, let alone runs for a year." It's even rarer for a show to be nominated for six Tony Awards, including best musical.

Taub won two Tonys for book and original score, beaming from the stage at last year's

ceremony as the ultimate multi-hyphenate -in a plum-colored satin dress.

When the show launched its North American tour in September, Taub stepped away from the role of suffragist and movement leader Alice Paul, but not from her proud perch as the musical's matriarch.

It was fitting that my interview with Taub took place on Nov. 4, election day. Taub is a true believer in the democratic process, and in the power of a unified populace to effect real and lasting change. She volunteered at the polls in 2020, and said election days are among her favorite.

"It's peaceful and everyone is saying hi to each other. We don't know what's gonna happen with the election, but we know that we showed up," she said. "And we know that we cared, and that's what matters no matter the outcome."

Taub began work on “Suffs” more than a decade ago when she was looking for a very specific narrative to tell.