Review: WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME at Wilbury Theatre Group

With the Presidential election a mere few weeks away, it is especially fitting that The Wilbury Theatre Group chose to begin the new theater season with Heidi Schreck’s introspective, contemplative, informative, and highly entertaining play “What the Constitution Means to Me.”

A resplendent Charlotte Kinder portrays Schreck, who beginning at the age of 15 gave speeches about our nation’s founding document at American Legion Halls to raise money for college. Teenage Schreck prides herself on her knowledge of the Constitution, and the stage is set to resemble one of those many halls—complete with podium, flags, and portraits of veterans—where she begins by describing the document as a crucible.

The bubbly, enthusiastic young lady is joined by a Legionnaire emcee (Ricky Waugh), there to keep track of time as she expounds upon select amendments, hand-picked at random, with personal anecdotes.

From the get-go, Schreck engages the audience and easily earns our trust with the humorous observations of an idealistic (and arguably naïve) youngster. She asks us to pretend we are all cigar-smoking men, and jokes that the women of her family express emotion as “Greek tragedy crying.” Her excitement is contagious, and her disposition is admirable—and even inspiring.

Schreck’s tone and stage temperament change when her 40-year-old self, upon reexamination, criticizes the paper she honored and lauded for the previous thirty minutes. She wisely reminds the crowd that the Constitution was written by and for white men who were primarily looking out for themselves, with nary a mention of women or minorities. Rather than let everyone assume these omissions and sexist assertions were problems of the past, she plays audio clips from recent Supreme Court hearings to demonstrate some of the justices’ laughable ineptitude.

To further illustrate her point, she shares stories about her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother involving marriage, abortion, and domestic violence. The harrowing, painstaking detail relayed has a mesmerizing effect on the audience, where you could hear a pin drop, and Kinder’s stoic albeit heartfelt delivery is flawless.

Schreck’s showcase culminates with a Parliamentary-style debate over whether the Constitution should stay or go. Here Kinder introduces herself and invites a local high school student to be her adversary, where each side pleads their case and lets the audience choose the victor. The teen role is played on alternate performances by Madison Donnelly and Hayley Pezza; Donnelly performed the night I attended, and her keen interest was on glowing display.

Kinder’s performance throughout is outstanding, mastering the narrative shifts with remarkable ease and conveying the expected, appropriate emotion and attitude based on her persona. Whether the subject is Patrick Swayze or Antonin Scalia, her words are articulate, pointed, and profound.

Waugh proves to be more than just a clock-watching showpiece in uniform when he delivers his own piercing monologue about male behavior. As the only man on stage, considering the much discussed male-centric Constitution, his speech and presence have a positive, reassuring effect.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” is an unquestionably wordy script with multiple arcs and occasionally dense language that could easily overwhelm its audience. Brien Lang’s skilled, concise direction, coupled with Kinder’s superlative performance, makes for an inviting, illuminating theater experience, and accessible to everyone.

“What the Constitution Means to Me” runs through October 13th at The Wilbury Theatre Group, 475 Vallet Street in Providence. For tickets and information, call 401-400-7100 or visit https://thewilburygroup.org/

Photo credit: Erin X. Smithers

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