If you know me at all, you know I’m not much of a history buff and to be perfectly transparent, I know very little about politics or the ins and outs of government, so when I heard a show called What the Constitution Means to Me was playing TPAC’s Polk Theatre as part of their current Broadway season, my initial inclination was to skip it. Then, I did a little research, even checking out the filmed adaptation currently available on Amazon Prime, and within minutes I wasn’t just in, I was intrigued. After all, any show who’s lead performer recalls having an imaginary friend named Reba McIntyre (no relation to the beloved country music icon), and I’m immediately vested. Add to that, the playwright’s ability to work an unexpected laugh centered ‘round Penny Johnson, the Catskills dancer who received a botched abortion in the now-classic film, Dirty Dancing, and I’m not just intrigued, I’m kinda all about it. Cleverly devised, the pop culture mentions only scratching the surface of what playwright Heidi Schreck has achieved with her Pulitzer Prize nominated show, now at TPAC’s Polk Theatre starring Cassie Beck.
Beyond the clever references, which also include a quick Wonder Twins mention, sweet childhood memories of a sock monkey, his descendant and his best friend, there’s also equally clever and surprisingly easily understandable lessons about the show’s titular subject matter by why of playwright Schreck’s lightly fictionalized personal and familial stories.
At the top of the play, Beck introduces herself as Heidi. With Shreck having originally performed the role during its Broadway 2019 debut in the days before the pandemic darkened theatre for nearly two years and also starring in the aforementioned Amazon Prime film version, Beck has her work cut out for her. Not only is she playing the woman who created the though-provoking piece, she also plays her as a young teenager. Worry not though, as Beck more than rises to the challenge, perfectly embodying both versions of Schreck with ease and conviction.
Early on Beck’s Heidi, dressed in a bright yellow blazer, informs the audience that she’ll be navigating the role occasionally as Schreck’s younger self, who at age 15 became a scholarship-winning constitutional debater appearing at numerous American Legion-sponsored debates where the Dirty Dancing and Salem witch trial-obsessed teen spoke on the founding document as a crucible or a witches’ cauldron, noting with humor her occasional opponent in these teenage debates frequently used the analogy of a patchwork quilt to describe the same document.
Under the direction of Oliver Butler, who also directed the Broadway production, Beck’s teenage Heidi is confident, a little cocky and surprisingly downright hilarious at times. I say surprisingly, because, come on…it’s a show about the Constitution. Who’d have thought it would be so dang entertaining? Beck is equally at east as modern-day Heidi as she shares the playwright’s words convincingly as though they were her own. It’s that ability, coupled with the universality that while the stories may indeed be those experienced by Heidi and conveyed now via Beck, they’re not entirely unique, but instead universally relatable.
Throughout the play Beck’s Heidi shares a number of the playwright’s often heart wrenching stories of multi-generational events, all with unsuspected ties to the wording of the constitution, in particular, Amendments 9 and 14. These memories range from Heidi’s great-great-grandmother, a mail order bride, who died of ‘melancholy’ in her mid-30s a patient of a mental hospital, to themes of immigration, spousal abuse, abortion, equality and more during the show’s hour and forty-minute run-time. Pretty heady subject matter, but again, thanks to Schreck’s carefully constructed stream of consciousness dialogue that’s peppered with equal parts heart, humor and eye-opening information, it all adds up to an enjoyable and informative event.
In addition to personal and family stories impacted by the document, Heidi also occasionally cites actual proceedings in which the Constitution and its interpretation has come into question. One such instance is 2005’s Castle Rock vs Gonzales in which an indigenous Colorado woman who had taken a restraining order against her abusive husband sought help from the police, who repeatedly refused. Her husband later kidnapped and murdered their three daughters. The woman sued the Castle Rock police. The Fourteenth Amendment was invoked and she won the case. Sadly the city appeared and the verdict was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court. During Heidi’s monologue about the case, mind-boggling audio of Antonin Scalia, who wrote the final decision, is played for the audience. In it, we’re privy to the decision that even though the Amendment says law enforcement ‘shall’ protect its citizens, it doesn’t mean they ‘must’.
Y’all. The fact that I retained this bit of info is further proof that the playwright, director and star have brilliantly come together to present the subject matter in such a way that even the least history/politically-minded audience member can and will take something away from this unique theatrical experience.
As mentioned earlier, Beck not only plays blazered teenage Dirty Dancing-referencing Heidi, she also takes on Heidi’s modern day persona. Even the tongue-in-cheek way she transitions out of teen Heidi into adult Heidi is sheer genius. She literally takes off the yellow blazer and says she’s gonna be adult Heidi from now on. It’s the quirky little details, simple as they are, that keep the audience engaged and entertained.
Joining Beck’s Heidi onstage in what is otherwise essentially a one-woman-show is Gabriel Marin, who appears as a Legionnaire. Primarily Marin sits quietly and only speaks when he, as the Legionnaire, informs teenage Heidi what her speech topic is, or to quell the applause from the audience. Once Heidi begins addressing the audience as her adult self she even makes a joke at Marin’s expense stating that she’s not really sure why he’s still there. A bit later, Marin steps out of the Legionnaire role to speak as himself as he shares an early experience of machismo mentality. I must admit, while Marin’s dialogue was interesting, that of Schreck’s Broadway co-star, as seen in the filmed version, and his personal story of suppressing traditionally though of as more feminine feelings as a young man, seemed a bit more impactful.
Near the show’s final third, Beck steps off the American Legion set, and in doing so, steps away from the character of Heidi, teen or otherwise, and performs the final few minutes as the actress, Beck, herself. She reveals she attended college in nearby Memphis, shares a bit about her background as an actress and then invites Jocelyn Shek, a high school junior from Los Angeles versed in debate to join her onstage for a live debate centered ‘round the idea of abolishing or keeping the Constitution. (at some designated performances Emilyn Toffler, a teenage trans actor/debater from LA, steps into the role as Beck’s debate opponent). While TPAC ushers distribute pocket-sized books of the Constitution (donated by the ACLU), Marin once again acts as moderator for the debate segment. At the end of their debate, a random audience member, who now represents the audience as a whole, is asked to judge who won the debate. Once they vote, they’re instructed to read from a corresponding card revealing their decision. This live debate segment and the rando audience participation assures each performance end in a way unique to itself. You know, kind of how each and every person’s interpretation of the Constitution has the potential to not only mean something unique to each and every one of us, but also the ability to potentially affect each and every one of us in a truly unique way.
What the Constitution Means to Me continues at TPAC thru Sunday, April 3. Then, as they continue their current Broadway Season and Special Presentations, next up at TPAC, it’s Come From Away, April 19-24, followed by Oklahoma!, May 3-8 and the debut presentation of May We All: A New Country Musical, June 7-July 17. Be sure to check out TPAC online and on socials by clicking any of the following: TPAC.org, TPAC on Instagram, TPAC on Facebook, TPAC on Twitter and TPAC on YouTube.
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