The youngest laureate of the Nobel Peace Prize, Malala Yousafzai, and former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton rang in the Broadway premiere of their co-produced musical. The New York Times reports that Suffs, a new musical about women's suffrage, follows the history of the fight for the right to vote all the way back to the early 1900s. Malala is making her Broadway debut in the musical. On paper, the announcement seemed like a significant accomplishment. The production team said that the production, which debuted at the Public Theater off Broadway last year, will be moving to Broadway in the spring and will premiere at the Music Box Theater on April 18.
"Suffs" delves into the fight for women's voting rights in the United States during the early 1900s. The story highlights a conflict between generations over the most effective way to accelerate political transformation. Shaina Taub, a singer-songwriter, has long been working on this musical; she wrote the book, music, and lyrics. Taub appeared in the off-Broadway version of the show; the Broadway cast has not yet been revealed. Leigh Silverman ("Violet") is directing the musical; Jill Furman ("Hamilton") and Rachel Sussman ("Just for Us") are the primary producers. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission states that the show is capitalized for up to $19.5 million; Furman stated that the real budget will be $19 million.
Clinton and Yousafzai, according to the show's executive producers, will serve as ambassadors, contributing to its promotion and sharing their opinions.
It is pertinent to note that Malala's story first came to prominence when the Taliban took over Swat in northwestern Pakistan while the US government, when Hillary Clinton was in charge oversaw a deadly campaign of drone strikes in Pakistan which claimed among its victims children like Malala.