Tony-winner Nikki M. James was more than ready, having birthed the daughter she carried throughout its off-Broadway run and embodying the piece’s bold feminism in a dress whose sleek, vest-like bodice nicely contrasted with its embroidered tulle skirt. (These were paired with tall Valentino pumps and a silver, bullet-proof-looking purse that reminded me of a ballot box). She told me, “it was very meaningful to be carrying the next generation of women while being surrounded by these badass, beautiful women onstage.”
Grace McLean, who plays President Woodrow Wilson, has been with the project for almost a decade, and said she was still wrapping her head around,“what it would be like to move through the world with blissful confidence, and walk into a room just expecting respect and deference.”
Naturally, all this drew the attention of Hillary Rodham Clinton and Malala Yousafzai, who signed on as producers for the show’s Broadway transfer. Clinton’s a known theater-lover, but this is her first time getting involved (and becoming Tony-eligible). Diplomatically avoiding what the cold weather was doing for my thin cardigan, nothing-underneath look, she recounted the overwhelming experience of first seeing it at the Public and relating to both Alice Paul and the less confrontational suff, Carrie Chapman Catt.
“Carrie had worked for decades and played what we call the ‘inside game’ to try to get to where she was headed,” she said. “Paul was young and energetic and passionate, and she was willing to bring change about, and it was the two of them, together, that brought change about.”
Making her way down the carpet, Yousafzai also praised Taub’s ability to focus not on one character, but on their “collective voice.” Melissa McCarthy first saw the show with her daughters a little over a week ago, and was surprised to learn none of its women were mentioned in their school’s history classes.
A vision of Janet Jackson appeared: Peppermint in a hair-up, white-bloused, black leather-booted, dog tag-accented look, and chatted with playwright Jordan E. Cooper, as Lin-Manuel Miranda and Rachel Brosnahan spoke to reporters, and cast members ran up to the theater’s balcony for photos.
A producer on the show, Michelle Noh, called out to Nadya Okamoto, the 26-year-old co-founder of August, a company that sells eco-friendly period products, as they headed in. “What you’re doing is incredible,” gushed Noh, young daughter in hand, prompting Okamoto to offer them a tampon from a kit she was carrying.