No. 40. “Keep Marching”
SUFFS (2024). By Shaina Taub (music, lyrics, and book).
Summer 2024. You’re attending a performance of Suffs, a new musical produced by, among others, Hillary Clinton and Malala. You’re expecting a sort of “girl-boss” Hamilton. Suffs is based on American history, stars its composer/librettist/lyricist, premiered at The Public Theater with Phillipa Soo (she did not join the Broadway company), and featured non-traditional casting (in this case, all the roles are played by a diverse cast of women). Also, the act 2 opener, “The Young Are at the Gates,” is basically a counter-melody to “My Shot.” But this is not mere attempt to replicate Hamilton’s success—it has a distinct musical and thematic point of view, care of its creator/star Shaina Taub. While the plot maps out the prolonged fight for women’s suffrage, the musical is really about how a single political movement wrestles with a range of conflicting ideologies and finds a way to achieve a final goal. Taub plays Alice Paul, a young revolutionary who is at odds with the more established leaders of the movement, who favor appealing to men by appearing non-threatening and supportive. Paul is also at odds with the black women in the movement, who know the right to vote won’t be extended to them any time soon. (Three groups with conflicting interests in turn-of-the-century America? If Garth Drabisnky wasn’t a misogynist in addition to being a criminal, he would be furious he couldn’t produce this.) It may sound cerebral, but it has a sense of humor and driving urgency. The score is built around extended sequences, anchored by catchy, repeated phrases that will have you muttering things like “you’ve got to find a WAY, FIND a way, you’ve got to find a WAY, FIND a way” for weeks. By the show’s end, you feel like you’ve gotten to know the individual stories of a dozen different suffragettes and their varied, invaluable contributions to the movement. In the final scene, set in the 1970s, Alice Paul—still fighting to get the Equal Rights Amendment passed—meets a young activist who rejects Paul’s methods just has Paul had fought the “old fogeys” in her youth. She reflects on the frustratingly non-linear path of progress, while being inspired that the work will continue after her (“Keep Marching”).
It may be premature to dub Shaina Taub a “Notable Creative” being that Suffs marked her Broadway debut as a writer and performer. But she’s only the second woman in history to star in a Broadway musical while also writing music, lyrics, and book. (The first was Micki Grant…in 1971.) In the 10 years leading to Suffs on Broadway, Taub:
appeared in the original off-Broadway casts of Hadestown, and Natasha Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812).
wrote scores for, and performed in, adaptations of Twelfth Night and As You Like It for the Public Theater’s PUBLIC WORKS program.
released 3 solo albums.
wrote lyrics (to Elton John’s score) for the musical version of The Devil Wears Prada .
wrote the theme song to Julie’s Greenroom (the Netflix show starring Julie Andrews and a gaggle of Jim Henson puppets).
wrote songs for the second season of AppleTV’s animated musical series, Central Park.
In a time when many aspiring composers can spend 11 years trying to get a single musical off the ground, Taub seems to be an indefatigable source of ideas. Even more important—she’s proven she can refine those ideas and do the work that takes a show from promising to excellent. Suffs received a mixed response off-Broadway, with critics finding it overstuffed with ideas, characters, and tonal shifts. What opened on Broadway was more focused, thematically clear, and impactful. A writer who can seemingly find musical inspiration in a shopping list while also having the discipline to edit and revise should prove to be unstoppable.
Recommended Recording: ”Keep Marching” Suffs (2024 Original Broadway Cast)
I admit that the cast recording can be a little bit challenging if you haven’t seen the show. The ear worms come through, but there are so many characters and plot threads that it can feel like you’re always playing catch up. But “Keep Marching” works without much context at all—it pretty much sets itself up in the first verse. The earnest and optimistic song is admirably unafraid of being “cringe.” We’re in a narrow window in which this song can be a bit of a discovery for many readers. I’ve already heard it at one Pride event, and I just feel like you’ll soon be hearing it anytime a group of idealistic women+ perform. I can see it eventually becoming like “Seasons of Love” where we spend a few years resenting its ubiquity before embracing it as a classic.
Alternate Performances
So far, there’s only one full recording of Suffs. It’s currently on tour, and if it’s stopping near you, I recommend checking it out.
Broadway Inspirational Voices Edition - The Broadway Inspirational Voices recorded a version of “Keep Marching” in support of Broadway Votes and Joy to the Polls. It’s a bit rough to try to think optimistically about the 2024 election in hindsight…but I also feel like this could be an evergreen recording to trot out every 4 (or 2) years until it works.
Pro-Shot - A proshot was recorded with the original Broadway cast, and it will premiere on PBS as part of Great Performances on Friday, May 8. I’m really glad it was preserved in this way (especially since, as I mentioned earlier, there are limits to what you can comprehend based on the recording alone). Let this also serve as a reminder to support your local PBS station.
Is it Covered by The Rat Pack, Audra McDonald, or Glee?
Audra McDonald- According to a Shaina Taub bio that appears many places on the internet, Audra McDonald has sung Taub’s music. But damned if I know what or where or when.
Glee - Alex Newell, who played Unique Adams after placing second on the reality competition series The Glee Project, is a featured soloist on the Broadway Inspirational Voices version of “Keep Marching.”
In the Wings
We’ve now completed our third playlist, Notable Creatives! Next week will be a brief “scene change,” with the next playlist theme to be announced the following week. Until then, I would recommend looking up the “cancel suffs” protest.
Catch up with all the songs to date!
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