PHILADELPHIA — Last month, Lenape High School senior Morgan Hann, 18, and a bunch of her friends hopped on a train for a big theater night on Broadway.

But it wasn't just any musical, and Hann and her friends weren't just any girls.

They went to see "Suffs," a musical based on South Jersey's own Alice Paul, a leader in the fight for women's right to vote. And for the friends — all members of Mount Laurel's Alice Paul Institute's Girls Leadership Council — this wasn't just a night of fun. It was a rallying cry.

"I feel like a lot of people are going to be talking about the musical and what it means," Hann said. "Like with 'Hamilton.' No one really cared about Hamilton outside the history books. Then you had all these people talking about him. I feel once people hear about 'Suffs,' more people are going to start talking about Alice Paul and the others and their work, and start demanding change."

That was always the hope for "Suffs," an ensemble musical written and starring Shaina Taub that premiered at Manhattan's Public Theater in 2022 and came to Broadway April 18. Last week, it garnered six Tony nominations — including best new musical and best book of a musical.

"By telling suffrage stories, I hope to inspire the next generation to dig up the hidden histories of our country and to take action themselves for progress and equality," said Taub during "Suffs'" Public Theater run.

Many of the characters in "Suffs" are unknown to most Americans, even though their work on the passage of the 19th Amendment laid the foundation for other changes to come.

Bringing "Suffs'" story to Broadway may change that, said Rachael Glashan Rupisan, executive director of the Alice Paul Institute.

"Being able to share Alice's story on this platform enables more people to understand that women have made really effective change in our country," Rupisan said.

Paul, a Burlington County Quaker whose historic Mount Laurel family homestead houses her namesake institute, was a determined political strategist whose gutsy moves included leading the first-ever protests in front of the White House. As "Suffs" shows, she was incarcerated for her activism and force fed while behind bars.

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