On Tuesday, May 28, I’ll be attending AAPI Community Night at SUFFS at the Music Box Theatre, organized by Miranda Gohh, Associate producer with TPOC Co-Producers Lainie Sakakura and Isha Gulati.
Lainie is one of three Asian American female co-producers organizing the night. So far there are over 200+ in the group coming.
Playwright David Henry Hwang will moderate a talkback with four of the AAPI cast members – Jaygee Macapugay (President Woodrow Wilson), Kim Blanck (Ruza Wenclawska), Nadia Dandashi (Doris Stevens), and Christine Heesun Hwang – after the show. There is a casual cash bar gathering at Hurley’s after the show and talkback.
On this episode of Backstage Pass with Lia Chang, I chatted with Jaygee Macapugay about appearing in three Broadway shows in the span of one year – Shucked, Here Lies Love and Suffs. She is currently playing Mollie Hay in Suffs but will be playing President Woodrow Wilson on May 25, 26 and 28, 2024.
This episode airs on Sunday, May 26, 2024 at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996 and streams on MNN2.
Broadway (OBC): Here Lies Love, Shucked, School of Rock. Off-Broadway: Suffs, Soft Power, Wild Goose Dreams, Here Lies Love. Recent Regional: Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation (5th Avenue), Hair (Old Globe), The Unofficial Bridgerton Concert (Kennedy Center). TV/Film: False Positive (Hulu), Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Concert (PBS).
Broadway: School of Rock (Original Broadway Cast, cast album). Off-Broadway/The Public Theater: Suffs, Soft Power, Here Lies Love, Wild Goose Dreams. National Asian Artists Project: Hello, Dolly!; Cinderella. Recent Regional: Shucked (Pioneer Theatre), Griswolds’ Broadway Vacation (5th Avenue), Hair (The Old Globe), The Unofficial Bridgerton Concert (Kennedy Center). TV/Film: “False Positive” (Hulu), “WWHL” (Bravo), “The Language Lesson” (YouTube), “Kennedy Center 50th Anniversary Concert” (PBS). Jaygee has a mission for storytelling as a means for change, particularly for amplifying the stories of Asian Americans. Jaygee performed Paulo Tirol’s Filipino immigrant song cycle ON THIS SIDE OF THE WORLD with Musical Theater West & the National Alliance of Musical Theatre. She is a proud member of Broadway Barkada, a collective of Filipino artists who support the Filipino American community and each other through their programs & performances. She also sang for our troops with the USO, as a member of The Liberty Belles.
ABOUT Suffs
It’s 1913 and the women’s movement is heating up in America, anchored by the suffragists — “Suffs,” as they call themselves — and their relentless pursuit of the right to vote. Reaching across and against generational, racial, and class divides, these brilliant, flawed women entertain and inspire us with the story of their hard-won victory in an ongoing fight. So much has changed since the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment over a century ago, and yet we’re reminded sometimes we need to look back, in order to march fearlessly into the future.
Suffs stars book writer, composer, and lyricist Shaina Taub in the role of Alice Paul, making her only the second woman in history to write the book, music, lyrics and star in her own Broadway musical. Suffs also stars Tony Award-winner Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon) as Ida B. Wells, Tony Award-nominee Jenn Colella (Come From Away) as Carrie Chapman Catt, Grace McLean (Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812) as President Woodrow Wilson, Hannah Cruz (MCC’s The Connector) as Inez Milholland, Kim Blanck (Signature Theatre’s Octet) as Ruza Wenclawska, Anastacia McCleskey (Waitress) as Mary Church Terrell, Ally Bonino (Broadway debut) as Lucy Burns, Tsilala Brock (The Book of Mormon National Tour) as Dudley Malone, Nadia Dandashi (Broadway debut) as Doris Stevens, and Tony Award-nominee Emily Skinner (Side Show) as Alva Belmont/Phoebe Burn.
Rounding out the company are Hawley Gould (Lincoln Center Theater’s Camelot) as the Alternate for Alice Paul, Jaygee Macapugay (Here Lies Love) as Mollie Hay, and Laila Drew (Broadway debut) as Phyllis Terrell/Robin. The ensemble will feature Dana Costello (Pretty Woman) as well as Jenna Bainbridge, Monica Tulia Ramirez, and Ada Westfall making their Broadway debuts. The cast also includes Christine Heesun Hwang (Les Misérables National Tour), Chessa Metz (Broadway debut), Kirsten Scott (Jersey Boys), Housso Semon (Girl From The North Country), and D’Kaylah Unique Whitley (Dear Evan Hansen).
Suffs features book, music and lyrics by Kleban Prize, Fred Ebb Award, and Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Shaina Taub, direction by Tony Award-nominee Leigh Silverman (Violet), choreography by Mayte Natalio (How to Dance in Ohio), scenic design by Tony Award-nominee Riccardo Hernández (Jagged Little Pill), costume design by Tony Award-winner Paul Tazewell (Hamilton), lighting design by Tony Award-nominee Lap Chi Chu (Camelot), sound design by Jason Crystal (Sweeney Todd) with associate Sun Hee Kil (Choir Boy), orchestrations by Tony Award-winner Michael Starobin (Next to Normal), music supervision and music direction by Andrea Grody (The Band’s Visit), and casting by Heidi Griffiths and Kate Murray (Soft Power). 101 Productions, Ltd. serves as General Manager.
The current awards and nomination tally for the Broadway production of Suffs includes six Tony nominations – Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score for Shaina Taub, Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Nikki M. James, Best Direction of a Musical for Leigh Silverman, Best Costume Design of a Musical for Paul Tazewell. The production won in three of the five Outer Critics Circle Awards categories include Outstanding New Broadway Musical, Outstanding Book of a Musical and Outstanding Score for Shaina Taub. Drama League nominations include Outstanding Production of a Musical, Outstanding Direction for Leigh Silverman and Distinguished Performance nominations for Nikki M. James and Jenn Colella. The show received eight Drama Desk Awards nominations – Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical for Emily Skinner, Outstanding Music for Shaina Taub, Outstanding Orchestrations for Michael Starobin, Shaina Taub, and Andrea Grody, Outstanding Scenic Design of a Musical for Riccardo Hernández, Outstanding Costume Design of a Musical for Paul Tazewell, Outstanding Lighting Design of a Musical for Lap Chi Chu, Outstanding Sound Design of a Musical for Jason Crystal, and Outstanding Wig and Hair for Charles G. LaPoint.
Jill Furman and Rachel Sussman serve as lead producers of Suffs, with Hillary Rodham Clinton and Malala Yousafzai serving as two of the musical’s producers.
Suffs was originally developed and produced at The Public Theater in 2022 (Artistic Director, Oskar Eustis; Executive Director, Patrick Willingham).
Theatre Producers of Color (TPOC) is a multifaceted collective of theatremakers joined together in support of the next generation of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) producers by providing access to education, training, and mentorship. TPOC was born out of the necessity to diversify the pool of commercial producers on and off Broadway. TPOC strives to break down barriers and make producing more accessible for a variety of voices.
Lia Chang is an actor, a multi-media content producer, activist, documentarian and an Award winning filmmaker and co-founder of Bev’s Girl Films making films that foster inclusion and diversity on both sides of the camera. Lia is also the host and Executive Producer of BACKSTAGE PASS WITH LIA CHANG, an Arts and Entertainment and Lifestyle program that airs on Sundays at 6:30pm on FIOS 34, RCN 83, Spectrum 56/1996 and streams on MNN2. Lia was recently profiled on Asian American Life. BGF collaborates with and produces multi-media content for artists, actors, designers, theatrical productions, composers, musicians and corporations. www.liachang.com www.liachangphotography.com
Backstage Pass with Lia Chang 