Broadway in Chicago Presents WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME Review – Jostling America’s Bedrock

So goes the blistering irony in Schreck’s script about her adolescent debate experience told from the vantage point of her 40-something self. Here in Chicago, Cassie Beck assumes the role originated in New York by Schreck that involves continual direct address to and occasional response from the audience. The autobiographical tale breaks down the fourth wall to jostle our assumptions about America’s bedrock. You may find yourself, as did this viewer, gasping one moment from horrifying facts and another from mordant zingers.

What the Constitution Means to Me Dissects Family History and U.S. Law

Schreck’s mother, whose exceptional courage as a teenager emerges later in the script, encourages her daughter to compete in What the Constitution Means to Me debates to earn money for college. Heidi does so well in her home state of Washington, she eventually competes on a national level. Throughout, a nerdy Legionnaire keeps time at the sidelines. The tension between this male traditionalist and the budding feminist is conveyed almost entirely through actor Mike Iveson’s facial expressions.

Schreck also uses her platform to tell her own family history, specifically that of its women and the effect of U.S. law on their lives. Because of a 9-to-1 ratio of men to women (well, white men to white women) in 19^th century Washington state, her great-great grandmother was recruited from the East Coast as a mail order bride. She bore 16 children and died at age 36 from melancholia. Pregnancy, motherhood and mental health affect successive generations, as does a legal system that protects male aggression.

The show concludes with  a keep or abolish debate between Beck and high school debater-performer Emilyn Toffler. Supervised by Iveson, now shorn of his Legionnaire uniform and identity, Beck and Toffler parry reasons to maintain or rewrite the existing Constitution – and then turn it over to a randomly selected audience member to decide who wins the argument. For those who welcome new insights into the United States’ ultimate primary source, What the Constitution Means to Me is as engrossing a format as a theatergoer is likely to find.

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Note: Picture This Post reviews are excerpted by Theatre in Chicago.

CAST:

Cassie Beck, Emilyn Toffler & Jocelyn Shek (alternating performances), Mike Iveso

CREATIVE TEAM:

Heidi Schreck (playwright), Oliver Butler (director), Rachel Hauck (scenic designer), Michael Krass (costume designer), Jen Schriever (lighting designer), Sinan Refik Zafar (sound designer), Nicole Olson (production stage manager)

WHEN:

Now through November 7th
Tuesdays - Fridays @ 7:30 PM
Saturdays @ 2:00 & 8:00 PM
Sundays @ 2:00 & 7:30 PM

WHERE:

Broadway Playhouse
175 East Chestnut
Chicago IL

TICKETS:

$26.50+

For tickets go to Broadway in Chicago

Digital lottery for $25 tickets: Broadway in Chicago Digital Lottery

Photos by Joan Marcus