ALBANY — The leaders of Capital Repertory Theatre and two Berkshires companies had the foresight to provide regional audiences with a second opportunity to experience Heidi Schreck’s unique and necessary play, “What the Constitution Means to Me.” While the coincidence of Playhouse Stage Company and Barrington Stage Company opening “Ragtime” in the same week in 2017 following the election of Donald Trump was like-minded, the return of “What the Constitution …” was deliberate.
The Rep’s producing artistic director, Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill, stated during Tuesday’s opening night, “We wanted a lot of people to be able to see it.” This sentiment should resonate with anyone who cares about contemporary America, where Trump remains the probable Republican presidential nominee, despite having faced three additional indictments since the Pulitzer- and Tony-nominated “What the Constitution …” concluded on June 3 in the Berkshires.
The largely autobiographical work, based on the author’s experiences as a teenager giving speeches and debating the nation’s defining document at American Legion halls, was presented earlier this year at Berkshire Theatre Group in Stockbridge, Mass. It was a co-production with Lenox-based WAM Theatre and directed by Kristen van Ginhoven, WAM’s co-founder and artistic director. A similar production, equally impressive, runs at The Rep for only three weeks. If it were up to me, I would extend the run and provide free admission to every high school civics or government class interested in attending.
Although two of the three cast members at The Rep are different from those in Stockbridge, the third is the same, as are the director and designers. As I had seen the play just four months prior, it wasn’t as fresh or surprising at The Rep. However, knowing what to expect had a deeper impact on me as Heidi, portrayed by the outstanding Kim Stauffer, transitions between her 15-year-old and adult selves, sharing a single night’s speech and debate at the American Legion. As her younger self, she is quick, intelligent, and eager to please. Adult Heidi occasionally halts the action, insisting that the legion administrator, played by Jay Sefton, who is even better here than in Stockbridge, give her additional time to make her points or recount a harrowing story, sparing her younger self any further trauma.
“What the Constitution Means to Me”
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Capital Repertory Theatre, 251 N. Pearl St., Albany
Running time: 100 minutes, with no intermission
Continues: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday, through Oct. 8. Additional matinee, 2 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27. ASL-interpreted performance, 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 30
Tickets: $25 to $62
Info: 518-346-6204 and capitalrep.org
The 14th Amendment is central to Schreck’s examination of the Constitution and the country’s failures. Ratified in 1868, the amendment granted citizenship to all persons “born or naturalized in the United States,” including formerly enslaved individuals, and ensured that all citizens enjoy “equal protection under the laws.”
However, as Heidi points out, it took another 52 years for women to gain the right to vote, and the civil rights movement didn’t come into full force until 90 years later. Even today, there are ongoing voter-suppression efforts. A century and a half after the 14th Amendment’s promises, Heidi asserts that equality is still not achieved for all Americans.
Because “What the Constitution …” simultaneously serves as an endorsement and indictment, the structure allows for an intriguing twist in the final 20 minutes of the play. Stauffer and Sefton step out of character to engage in a parliamentary-style debate on whether to abolish or preserve the Constitution with a young person as passionate about the subject as Schreck was during her teenage years. Isabel Sanchez, a theater student at the University at Albany, delivered a brilliant performance as the debater on opening night. (She shares the role with Izzy Brown, a high school student from the Berkshires who performed in Stockbridge.) The audience even gets to vote on who wins the debate.
“What the Constitution …” is powerful enough that even the obnoxious individuals sitting behind me, who constantly chatted about bladder problems, heartburn, annoyance with the show, the desire to leave early, and whether the Times Union critic was in front of them, barely detracted from the performance.
The cast’s discussion of fundamental issues in a clear, vibrant manner was too important, engaging, and thought-provoking. Similar to the Constitution, Schreck’s work has the strength to withstand abuses, even from some of “we the people.”
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