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