OCTOBER 28 • 2021 | 43

and aspirations for musical
theater. They continue to
support us, which is very
validating and not a given
for every set of parents.”

STRONG WOMEN
Suskauer adds that she
comes from a long line of
strong Jewish women and
Holocaust survivors.
“I think that the character
Vivian Ward in Pretty
Woman is all about being
independent and a survivor,
which is what I think is
exactly at the core and heart
of the Jewish people and,
especially, the journey my
family has been on,” she
says.
Suskauer vividly
remembers going on
the March of the Living
when she was 17 with
her grandmother, Rose
Rosenkranz, who was born
in a Siberian labor camp
in 1945. They went to
Poland together, visiting the
concentration camps and
learning about their family
history.
“We visited the sites
where my ancestors

perished, and then we
went to Israel to witness
the journey of our people
through the years and
how we are still fighting
antisemitism to this
day,” says Suskauer, who
considers herself an
outspoken Jewish activist,
especially in the theater
community.
“There needs to be more
of us in theater to support
each other because, more
often than not, we can get
lost in the shuffle.”
Suskauer says that the
March really empowered
her as a young, Jewish
woman.
“Vivian’s journey in
Pretty Woman is that she
doesn’t have a traditional
lifestyle and it’s OK to
reinvent herself,” Suskauer
says. “It’s really interesting
to me because it’s kind
of like my family who,
as immigrants, came to
this country to reinvent
themselves and have a
better life. It’s all about not
being discriminated against
or being judged and owning
your power.”

Pretty Woman: The
Musical runs Nov. 2-14,
at the Fisher Theatre,
3011 W.est Grand Blvd.,
Detroit. Tickets start at
$39 (includes facility
and parking fees) and
are now on sale. Tickets
can be purchased
online at ticketmaster.
com, by phone at (800)
982-2787, and in person
at the Fisher Theatre
Box Office. A limited
number of premium
seats will be available
through Ticketmaster

and at the Fisher
Theatre Box Office.
Theater patrons
will be required to
show proof of a
negative COVID test
within 72 hours of the
performance date or
proof of full COVID-19
vaccination before they
will be admitted into the
venue. Additionally, all
patrons will be required
to wear a mask while
inside the theater,
regardless of one’s
vaccination status.

DETAILS