Hillary Clinton made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Tony Awards where she discussed the historical significance of Suffs and the current election year, which earned her a standing ovation and plenty of cheers. The former U.S. senator and secretary of state introduced the performance for Suffs — she serves as a co-producer for the musical.

“What a great evening. Now, I have stood on a lot of stages, but this is very special,” she said. “And I know a little bit about how hard it is to make change.

“So, I’m extremely proud of this original American musical by Shaina Taub — now a two-time Tony winner,” Clinton added. “And of course, it is about some American originals: The suffragists who fought so valiantly for so long to give women in our country the right to vote. It’s almost impossible to think about what a challenge that was. But now it’s an election year, and we need to be reminded about how important it is to vote, so please welcome the company of Suffs!”

Suffs earned six nominations, with Taub — the writer, director, and star of the musical — winning Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score.

“And to all the theater kids watching, especially the loud little girls — go for it!” Taub said during her acceptance speech for Best Original Score. Like Clinton, she also stressed the significance of this election year: “This is a hard year in our country, and I just hope that we can remember that when we organize, when we come together, we are capable of making real change and progress in this country for equality and justice,” Taub said. “And so I hope we can all do that together.”

Suffs was also nominated for Best Musical against Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, Water for Elephants, and the winner of the category, The Outsiders.