Producers Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman are not strangers to mounting theater centered on history and politics. Furman won a Tony Award as one of the lead producers of “Hamilton,” which made a high-octane musical ride out of the story of America’s founding fathers. Sussman earned her first Broadway producorial credit (and her first Tony nod) with Heidi Schreck’s “What the Constitution Means to Me,” an investigation of the way in which the foundational document personally affects Americans.
Sussman is part of a new generation of younger producers making their mark on Broadway. Furman boasts a long history in the business — her first producer credit came in 2002. She won a Tony for Best Musical with “In the Heights” and earned special recognition for the Main Stem engagement of “Freestyle Love Supreme.”
The two combined their experience and perspectives to bring “Suffs” to Broadway. The musical rewinds to the early 20th century when American women known as suffragists fought for their right to vote.
In this episode, Furman and Sussman discuss the beginnings of “Suffs,” their strategy for marketing it to theatergoers and what audiences might expect from their anticipated showcase in the Tonys broadcast.
