JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Shaina Taub Shares How She Landed Upon the Idea of Now Tony-Nominated Suffs; Says 'I Realized I Knew Nothing'
The Broadway musical, which explores a pivotal historical period, is nominated for six Tony Awards, including best musical and best original score.
Shaina Taub, only 35 years old, has seen her musical Suffs, performed on Broadway in April, nominated for six Tony Awards. This musical, which tells the story of the fight for women’s right to vote, was produced by Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai and was in the making for ten years.
The project started in 2014 when co-founder and one of the lead producers, Rachel Sussman, proposed the idea to Taub. Taub quickly realized she was profoundly ignorant regarding women’s suffrage in the United States. Determined not to take any chances, she immersed herself in research for several hours every day and even spent a month at the Schlesinger Library in Cambridge.
Through her research, Taub found herself among suffragists. She describes, "It was just a group of driven, hardworking, type-A, organized, stubborn young women who were all really close friends and loved the challenge and found their sense of joy in working together towards a hard goal.”
Thus, for Taub, this project was not only an academic or professional pursuit but one of the most intimate and gratifying experiences since she could identify herself and her friends in these historical figures. In Suffs, Taub teaches how history happened, celebrating triumphs and the power of unity and persistence as a team.
ALSO READ: Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 Eyes Another Colin and Penelope Scene From The Books; Deets
Shaina Taub: From Vermont to broadway with Suffs
Shaina Taub, the woman who has risen to prominence as the star of her excellent play, Suffs, has been a theater lover and professional for a long time. Taub was brought up in the small town of Waitsfield in Vermont, where she first got her theatrical "gene inoculation."
She recalls, "I grew up in a town of 2,000 people in a place known as the Green Mountains, living down a dirt road. There is a great community theatre in the area, and my mom used to take my sister and me to rehearsal. I just always loved it. There is much emphasis on the arts, and this fueled my passion."
A perfect testament to this assertion is her creation of Suffs. Taub notes that the musical is “a group of women going through turbulent and gritty stuff and trying to get s--- done, and they must enjoy it,” with witty humor in the spirit of the suffragettes. The musical also contains songs composed on the piano and, in the case of the song "Such Pretty Foils for Old Followers," on the accordion.
Her passion for the accordion started a decade ago when she was learning to play the instrument for her role in Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812.
"I had to take a one-month crash course, and I just fell in love with it. I found it so freeing. I think there's a twisted dark humor the accordion brought out in me in my songwriting, while the piano brings out my emotional side," Taub recollects.
These elements have been skillfully presented in Suffs, with Taub intermittently tickling and probing the funny bone of the Broadway audience.
From Suffs to Tony nominations
When asked for advice for aspiring musicians and artists aiming for Broadway, Shaina Taub keeps it straightforward: Be with your friends.
She explains, “I just feel like that is part of what's helped me get through, I mean, my whole career, but especially all of writing Suffs, is just having those fellow artist friends that support one another. The artist Brian Eno has a term that I love and that I say all the time, which is scenius, the genius of the scene. It’s about a whole community and ecology of talent that supports each other. That’s why Suffs is an ensemble show.”
The Tony Awards are coming soon, and Suffs has six nominations, including the categories for Best Musical and Best Original Score. While she is awaiting the outcome, Taub comes to appreciate the process. “Just making it to Broadway, let alone having a show of my own, is so beyond my wildest dreams. And then to be recognized by the Tonys... I mean, I grew up as a theater kid who would kind of watch the Tonys with stars in my eyes. It is more than I could have ever imagined," she said.
What binds these adventures together is a profound belief in ensemble and alliances in the arts and a hearty manifestation of what is possible if one dreams big and gets the right support.
ALSO READ: Ariana Grande's The Boy Is Mine Music Video Features Cameos From Brandy And Monica; WATCH
Latest Articles
