Suffs!

Does a musical about early 20th century suffragists — with an all-female and non-binary cast — seem like a tough sell?

Well, what about one on the life of Alexander Hamilton — someone most Americans before 2015 had only vaguely heard about, with non-white actors and a hip hop score?

Could "Suffs" producer Jill Furman — a Westport resident — have another "Hamilton"?

Maybe. She produced that one too.

That blockbuster was not her first smash. She's produced "In the Heights," "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella," "West Side Story" and "The Drowsy Chaperone," among others.

Jill Furman

But Furman's involvement with the theater did not begin until her 30s. After graduating with an art history degree from Brown University, she headed to Los Angeles for a job in "a different kind of art": film.

She began doing "typical stuff — bringing the boss's dog home from the office" — but gained experience on sets.

Fed up with LA, and eager to start a film production company, Furman headed back east to Columbia Business School.

"I didn't have to take math at Brown," she says. "I was scared of numbers. But I knew I needed that background."

She raised money for "a film no one saw."

Then, pivoting to theater — following the lead of her father, an entertainment investment banker who had become a producer — she associate produced 3 shows.

While working on Broadway's "Sly Fox" in early 2003, an actor she knew told her to check out a show being workshopped in a Manhattan basement.

"It blew me away," Furman recalls of "In the Heights."

"It was music I'd never heard on the stage before. Lin-Manuel Miranda was a baby — in his early 20s. But he was ridiculously talented."

Furman put her money where her mouth — and heart — were. Backing that show was "the thing I'm most proud of," she says.

Bringing a show to Broadway is a long, risky process. It is often a labor of love.

But, Furman notes, "it feels so good to be part of something I really believe in." With every project she tries to strike a balance between mass audience appeal, and something that feels "different and fresh."

In the 2009 "West Side Story" revival, that meant including Spanish lyrics and dialogue. For the 2013 "Cinderella," it was the young servant opening the prince's eyes to injustices in his kingdom.

With "Suffs," it's bringing an important but overlooked piece of history to life — at a moment when it is "more timely than ever," Furman says.

She went to an all-girls high school. But she never learned about the suffragists.

Women like Alice Paul have been lost to history.

Furman first heard of "Suffs" in 2014. She knew of "up-and comer" Shaina Taub — who wrote the book, music and lyrics — and was impressed with the passion with which Taub pitched the concept.

Furman signed on in 2016. The plan was to be in production in 2020 — the 100th anniversary of enactment of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.

But COVID shut down Broadway.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton — expected by some to be the first female American president — had been defeated by Donald Trump. His Supreme Court appointees overturned Roe v. Wade, a decision seen by many as an assault on women's rights.

Clinton was not in the White House. Instead, she was available — and eager — to help produce "Suffs."

In fact, it was Clinton's concession speech — it which she told "all the little girls" to never doubt they deserved "every chance and opportunity in the world" to pursue their dreams — that had inspired Taub to keep working on "Suffs."

Another important backer is Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Hillary Clinton and Malala Yousafzai.

The show has come a long way from its Off-Broadway opening at the Public Theater in 2022.

"It feels less like a history lesson," Furman says. "It's funnier. The humanity of the characters feels deeper."

At a time when women's rights are under attack, the true story of the suffragists — including their internal divisions over race and class — is crucial to be told, Furman says.

Though the Broadway calendar is crowded — 18 new shows are opening this spring — the early buzz has been exciting.

Word-of-mouth — crucial for theatrical success — is excellent. Theater insiders have spoken passionately about it.

"Suffs" on stage. (Photo/Sara Krulwich for the New York Times)

It's been a hectic couple of months for Furman, who splits her time between Westport and New York.

She's had little time to enjoy her waterfront home here. "It feels like a vacation," she says of Westport. "It's easy to get to. It's beautiful, relaxing, and the people are great. I could sit outside all day long, and never move."

There's little chance of that. "If we get in the Tony mix, it'll be crazy through mid-June," Furman says.

In any event, she's already thinking about her next project: a musical based on "Wonder," the 2017 film about a boy with a facial deformity.

Like "Suffs," Furman says, "It's another amazing story that deserves to be seen."

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