Rights, Reason and Reflection, A Review of What the Constitution Means to me

A play about the constitution. I don’t think most people in America think about the constitution as much as they should. But if anyone understands the constitution, it would be the psychotically polite, 15-year-old Heidi Schreck. This heart-wrenching but hopeful play brings to light the very real effects of the constitution of the United States of America.

In this emotional rollercoaster of a play, Heidi brings her 15-year-old self back to life on stage. When she was that age, she went around the country debating about the constitution with other teens and won her college tuition out of it. Heidi brings us back to that moment in her life and how the constitution has shaped the lives of multiple generations of women in her family.

I loved this play. And I think especially right now the message is more important than ever. This was an emotional rollercoaster, one minute my stomach hurt from laughing and the next minute I was on the edge of tears. This play is impactful, but I think the moments of laughter make it easier on the psyche a bit, makes it a bit easier to process the information Heidi is giving us. Throughout, Heidi gives us bits of information about how the constitution affected her life as well as previous generations of women in her family. I believe that having that personal connection is crucial to helping people who haven’t been through that, to understand why its important for us to pay more attention to the constitution, and that it has a greater affect than some people might think.

Rachel Hauk was the scenic designer when the play first premiered on Broadway on March 31, 2019. With the message of the play I appreciated how simple but effective Hauk made the set. The pictures of veterans on the wall instead of having more judges on stage added to the atmosphere without taking attention away from Heidi. Another thing I loved was how clear the difference was between Heidis younger self and her current self, the brightness in her eyes and the desperate sort of voice of a 15-year-old made the distinction between memory and the current situation very clear, and also added to the humor. I also liked that there were times when I wasn’t sure if she was sticking to her script or if she was genuinely going off book sometimes, as far as I understood she was on book the whole time so the moments when she said she was going ‘off-script’, added to the impact of certain moments.

Overall, I think this play is one that everyone should go see. It’ll make you laugh it’ll make you cry. And the subject matter could not be timelier. Go and see it at some point if you can and learn about how the constitution isn’t just some dusty old document.

Sources

Theatricals, Concord. “What the Constitution Means to Me.” Concord Theatricals, www.concordtheatricals.com/p/93589/what-the-constitution-means-to-me. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.

Huntington, The. “What the Constitution Means to Me.” Huntington Theatre Company What the Constitution Means to Me Comments, www.huntingtontheatre.org/whats-on/what-the-constitution-means-to-me/. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.

Playbill. “What the Constitution Means to Me (Broadway, Helen Hayes Theatre, 2019).” Playbill, playbill.com/production/what-the-constitution-means-to-mehelen-hayes-theater-2018 2019. Accessed 9 Nov. 2024.