We the people...
George Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Alexander Hamilton.
We the people...
Dred Scott. Jane Roe. Jessica Lenahan-Gonzales.
Heidi Schreck's thesis is simple: our nation's Constitution and its enforcement are products of people (specifically white men), and as such, manifest all the same flaws that make us human. These flaws are why we can even debate whether to keep or abolish our Constitution (a perfect Constitution can hardly be argued against). Heidi ensures to drive this point home with facts and stories of people (specifically not white men and both personal and societal) who have actively suffered a great deal of harm directly because of those flaws. You won't feel lectured or pandered to and you will enjoy many laughs. This play takes incredible care in using the art of theatre and storytelling to ease you in and out of every corner. And we desperately need this play as a reminder that our Constitution is not infallible or a product of divine minds, as if it were the Bible (which, honestly, should be noted is another document written by men with many flaws... Just ask Dan McClellan).
Right away, Heidi (played by Colleen Madden) gives you the when and where with the how and the why. The Legionnaire (played by Casem AbuLughod) then adds the rules of the contest. "... the contestants will get seven minutes to deliver a prepared oration that demonstrates his or her understanding of the Constitution and draws a personal connection between their own lives and this great document." Thus you have Forward Theater's What the Constitution Means to Me. But rather than seven minutes, there is an entire show. And yes, those personal connections powerfully demonstrate just how much harm the Constitution and its enforcers do.
Colleen Madden weaves a brilliant thread of identity between contrasting Heidi's, both as a teenager and as an adult. The young Heidi brings youthful energy with wild metaphors to the stage. The older Heidi brings reflection and experience. Occasionally, Casem gives us room to reflect with breaks in between Heidi's soliloquies and is most effective storytelling while planted or sitting (though still very effective while pacing the stage). The design from sound to the set to the costumes to the props are all incredibly effective at elevating the cast and story.
This play isn't the most entertaining Forward Theater production I have seen (that would be Fun Home, which I saw three times...), but this is not meant to be that type of show. This is the type of show where you leave debating what the Constitution means to you.
