Illuminating the Pitfalls

What the Constitution Means to Me – Broadway in Chicago

If we couldn’t have Heidi Schreck, the playwright and original leading actress of the play on Broadway, then we’re very lucky to have Cassie Beck appearing in this National Tour production. She plays Ms. Schreck in her Tony-nominated and Pulitzer Prize finalist play that illuminates the pitfalls of this almost sacred document, while supporting her presentation with events from Ms. Schreck’s own background. Cassie is attractive, charismatic, very articulate and extremely passionate about the subject, as if she’s actually channeling the playwright. This achievement must be, at least partially, attributed to Oliver Butler’s tight direction.

The play sounds like could be terribly didactic and painfully dull, but this 100-minute one-act is never boring. Ms Beck, as Heidi, tells us that as a fifteen-year-old back in 1989 she discovered that she loved the ideas and language found in the Constitution of the United States. Without any physical transformation, the actress asks us to imagine her at this time of her life. With her supportive mother by her side, Heidi toured American Legion and VFW Halls all over the state, earning enough prize money to fund her college education by giving speeches and debating other teenagers about the Constitution.

The set, nicely designed by Rachel Hauck, represents Heidi’s memory of all those venues where she spoke, lined with wooden paneling and dozens of portraits of men who served their country. The character of the Legionnaire, carefully watching the time, is played with Barnie Fife staunchness by Mike Iveson, who created the role in the original Broadway production. He also plays himself later on in the production. Two bright high school teenagers alternate in the role of Heidi’s debate opponent for the second half of the play. Opening night saw young Emilyn Toffler from Los Angeles, while Jocelyn Shek, also from California, returns to the show in rotating performances.

So much information is discussed and illuminated in this play that, for our reference, a pocket-size copy of the US Constitution is distributed to each audience member. The young woman’s primary point is that the Constitution doesn’t protect all Americans, simply because it wasn’t created to do so. She maintains that the document sought not to limit the rights of only white men, so it’s an instrument that ignores many of its other citizens. It’s written communication that’s mainly concerned with negative rights. 

Although Heidi discusses most of the document in general, she especially focuses on the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments. She illustrates her points with dozens of events from her own past, including incidents from the lives of her mother, grandmother and great-great-grandmother. In citing how domestic abuse, sexual assault, abortion and immigration injustices were and are still part of the American experience, particularly for women and people of color, Ms Schreck (as portrayed by Cassie Beck) makes the omissions from the Constitution much more personal and relevant to us. The document was, as she continually points out, drawn up by old white men over three-hundred years ago.

Cassie Beck makes the play feel extemporaneous. It’s as though the actress is improvising much of the evening, creating her arguments and points of contention as she goes along. But this is the beauty of the production. Ms Beck portrays Heidi Schreck as a knowledgeable scholar as well as a gifted storyteller. She’s comfortable breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to her audience. While a great deal of information is imparted and a large amount of personal pathos comes forth, there’s also a lot of humor. Both Ms. Beck and Mr. Iveson deliver their dialogue with comic ease, while being masters of body language and subtle facial expression. Both actors skillfully mine some of the funniest moments from this script. Again, director Oliver Butler must be commended for his work with this talented cast. 

This “warm-blooded, steamy document that’s hot and sweaty,” as Heidi Schreck calls the Constitution, is truly a living, breathing work that’s continually being analyzed, re-evaluated and changed. The Amendment process allows for periodic updates in the document, which is one of the Constitution’s greatest strengths. And, despite it’s shortcomings in dealing with the equality of women, persons of color and immigrants, the United States Constitution, Ms. Schreck argues, is the framework of our nation. It must not only be kept, but respected, for all its inherent good.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Colin Douglas

Presented October 26-November 7 by Broadway in Chicago at the Broadway Playhouse Theatre, 175 E. Chestnut St., Chicago.

Tickets are available in person at the theatre box office, by calling 800-775-2000 or by going to www.broadwayinchicago.com.

Additional information about this and other area productions can be found by visiting www.theatreinchicago.com