George Street Playhouse opens their 50th season with the play What the Constitution Means to Me. Written by Heidi Schreck, this play looks at the U.S. Constitution, Amendments, and Supreme Court decisions in an informative, interesting, and at times fun manner.
There is a saying that theater entertains, inspires, and educates. And this a show that does all three. Laiona Michelle directs the production. In her Director’s Notes, she says:
Everything in this play is magnified because discussions about the very things the play highlights, right down to the state of our democracy, are currently happening in real-time. We are reminded of the urgency of protecting the values on which this country was founded, the freedoms we value, and the foundational principles of our democracy. We are not a perfect union, but we are a work in progress, and that is worth fighting for.
The play was a Pulitzer Prize finalist and Tony Award nominee running for 164 performances on Broadway in 2019. Playwright Heidi Schreck played the lead role for a time during the run.
Not only does it examine critical parts of the Constitution, but the play also allows the audience to imagine what will happen to the document in the future. What the Constitution Means to Me can work well at any time. However, with a major Presidential election coming very soon, it feels very timely to see this.
Character Background
This production at George Street Playhouse stars two time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin who plays Heidi Schreck. She begins the show by explaining that at 15 years old, she traveled the country giving speeches about the Constitution for prize money. These speeches were at American Legion Halls similar to the set where this production takes place. She further explains her mother came up with this scheme to help her pay for college. It obviously worked well because she was able to pay her entire way through college.
A second character enters. Nicholas Rodriguez plays the role of the Legionnaire and Mike. He provides support and questions to Heidi throughout the show. He also serves as a moderator for the debate. Rodriguez provides an emotional look at the character of Mike as he describes things he has gone through in his own life.
Baldwin provides such an enthusiastic approach to her character that she draws you into the story immediately. She begins by telling the audience that the Constitution is a living document. “That is what is so beautiful about it.” However, she also equates it to being a crucible. She defines the crucible term as being a pot where you put in many different ingredients “and boil them together until they transform into something else.”
Right here, you have a good overview of the attitude Heidi has towards the Constitution and what will come still in the play.
Heidi embodies her teenage self in order to trace the founding document. She weaves in the impact it had on her own life. To create a better synergy, she tells the stories of the past four generations of women in her family and how the Constitution affected them. The approach develops skillfully with true stories and interesting assessments.
The Play Highlights Specific Parts of the Constitution
Specific parts of the Constitution are highlighted throughout the play. Heidi begins with an explanation of Amendment Nine. This Amendment recognizes that just because a certain right is not listed in the Constitution, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have that right.
Amendment Nine is part of the Bill of Rights from 1791. You realize that the founding fathers recognized that things not included in the original document could be needed as the country changed.
This sets the stage for the rest of the play.
Additional Examinations
After Amendment Nine, Heidi moves to Amendment Fourteen where she explains how it was a huge force in the Civil Rights Movement. But she concludes by mentioning that it guaranteed rights only to men, not black women, not indigenous women and not even white women. In fact, it is the first time the word “male” is in the Constitution. This discussion brings up voting rights and also how the Dred Scott Decision tied to this Amendment.
She talks about her great-great grandmother Theresa’s 1879 entry into the U.S. She was considered a “good immigrant” as she came from Germany as a mail order bride.
The presentation of Amendment Fourteen is intense. This Amendment allows Americans the right to travel from state to state and a few other things. A part of this section of the play is the story of Asa Mercer and his doings to bring women to Washington State. It is startling to hear. It reeks of denial of rights to women.
Heidi bravely tells her own story of seeking to get an abortion. She discusses Roe v Wade and implications from passage and later being overturned.
There are other cases with Supreme Court verdicts which were also surprising to hear. One that stands out is Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales. Here, the lack of enforcement of a restraining order against a wife’s husband is upheld.
Audio runs several times during the play where the audience has a chance to hear clips of the Supreme Court discussing issues which is interesting to hear.
The Debate
“Our Constitution is so old.” But does it still work? Part Two of the show is a Debate that takes place to discuss this very question. The debate involves the merits of the current Constitution verses writing a new document to replace the current Constitution.
The debaters are Heidi and one of two young people selected to be a part of the show. Rotating this role as Debaters are Niara Beckwith and Wobirba Sarpey. The inclusion of young debaters in this part of the show is refreshing with their youthful vibrancy onstage.
A member of the audience is called upon to give their opinion. In the show I attended, the person selected was in favor of keeping the current Constitution. This might vary depending upon the show you attend.
Go to See What the Constitution Means to Me
The play runs 90 minutes with no intermission.
The performance schedule for What the Constitution Means to Me is as follows: Wednesday – Saturday at 7:30pm; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:00pm.
Exceptions: there will be no evening performance on Friday October 11. There will be an additional performances on Friday, October 11 at 2:00pm.
Special performances include an English open captioned matinee performance and a Spanish open captioned evening performance on Saturday October 5.
Performances run through October 13, 2024 at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (11 Livingston Avenue) in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Tickets begin at $25 and are available for purchase online.
