What the Constitution Means to Me
Written by and starring Heidi Schreck
Directed by Oliver Butler
New York Theatre Workshop
October 26, 2018
Production website
💉💉💉 out of 5.

Great things come in the most unexpected of places.  I am not sure what attracted me to spend a night in New York watching a one woman show about the U.S. Constitution – but that is how I chose to spend the night and boy, was I grateful for the choice.  It is a mighty odd show to put down in simple terms.  Essentially it is set in the meeting room of every American Legion in the middle  of anywhere America as they are holding one of their annual oratorical contests for high school students to compete with their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution. 

 The show was essentially a one-woman show in which she took her true life story of coming from a family with women that faced abuse and limitations AND merged this with a most interesting lecture on how the Constitution has/has not served all of us – especially women.  It was just such an interesting history lesson tied to a very honest and heartfelt exploration of personal history.  It was very moving.  BUT then at the end it got a bit gratuitous and gimmicky as a “local high school student” and she were going to demonstrate a formal debate on whether our country would be better with or without the document.  Miniature copies of the actual Constitution were handed out to the audience and on they went with their cleverness and planned lack of planning.  It was just so predictable and NOT needed.  Worst of all, the show concluded by our actress and her high school foil sitting on the edge of the stage sharing personal questions that the previous night’s audience had left them.  Really, we want to know about the life and plans of a high school girl that we just met 10 minutes ago?  Come on.  A truly wonderful evening of theatre.  If only I had left the last 10 minutes and been told by the ushers that I couldn’t return to my seat.