‘Constitution’ dramedy streams in timely fashion
Filmed production of Heidi Schreck’s 2019 play currently streams on Amazon Prime.
Sometimes a deadly insurrection draws you closer to a document that’s always been the foundational constant keeping America steadfast and unbreakable.
Due to the events of Jan. 6, when the U.S. Capitol was invaded by a violent mob, it isn’t surprising certain arcane amendments of the U.S. Constitution are front-page news. As of this writing regarding the presidency of Donald Trump, discussions of invoking the 25th Amendment (Section 4) have ceased. However, the possibility of enacting the 14th Amendment (Section 3) not only for Trump but also members of Congress and elsewhere is still on the table. As so, I’ll reiterate the disqualifying provision found in Section 3 of the 14th Amendment, ratified in July 1868, following the Civil War.
“No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as
an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability.”
Interestingly, the 14th Amendment is also pivotal in the overarching themes of Heidi Schreck’s fascinating, educational and moving dramedy “What the Constitution Means to Me.” Nominated for the 2019 Tony Award for Best Play and Pulitzer Prize for Drama, this breezy work was filmed during its acclaimed Broadway run at New York’s Helen Hayes Theatre and currently streams
on Amazon Prime staged by director/actress Marielle Heller (fabulous this season as chess prodigy Beth Harmon’s troubled stepmother Alma Wheatley in Netflix’s outstanding miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit”).
Schreck, also Tony nominated for Best Leading Actress, gleefully dives into the 14th Amendment, particularly Sections 1 and 2. She eagerly spotlights its attributes of legal residency, equal protection under the law and the significance of the amendment fueling the civil rights movement. In fact, she speaks so freely and intellectually about the amendment because as a 15-year-old in conservative Wenatchee, Washington, she would give speeches about the Constitution at various American Legion Halls in competitions that awarded prize money she used to pay for college. And through this charmingly reflective, nostalgic lens, her perspectives about the Constitution past and present thought-provokingly collide as her warm, engaging and spirited presence ignites the text.
“(The Constitution) is a boiling pot in which we are thrown together in sizzling and steamy conflict to find out what it is we truly believe,” she says, launching into the merits of the 9th Amendment concerning rights not being “construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.” “(The 9th Amendment) acknowledges that who we are now might not be who we will become. It leaves a little room for the future self, and we just have to hope we don’t drown in the process of figuring out what that is.”
A student of feminist studies well-versed in the words of Gloria Steinem, Audre Lorde and others, Schreck, incorporating recordings of such Supreme Court Justices as Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsburg, captivates in her gripping exploration of women’s rights. In addition to detailing her pregnancy at age 21 and her decision to have an abortion, she reveals the confusion, hurt and pain of being a descendant of abuse and chemical depression. Her mother and grandmother particularly endured the hardship of living with a violent man, prompting Schreck to question if the Constitution protects women to the fullest.
Pinpointing the “Castle Rock v. Gonzales” Supreme Court case involving the deaths of a woman’s three young daughters killed by their father, she cites the following statistics involving physical and sexual violence against women: Four women are murdered every day in the United States by a male partner; 1 in 3 American women are sexually assaulted during their lifetime; 1 in 5 American women are raped during their lifetime; and 10 million American women live in violent households. Taking stock of other countries, perhaps we can do better. “One hundred and seventy-nine Constitutions have explicit gender protections written into them,” she says. “Our Constitution is really, really old.”
Ultimately, the playwright asks the audience to contemplate the future of the Constitution. Is the document merely a problematic relic that should be thrown away or totally revised? Or is it best to stay the course and continue to make it work in spite of its shortcomings? A playful yet strong debate whether to keep or abolish the Constitution occurs in the final minutes between Schreck and smartly astute 14-year-old New York City high school student Rosdely Ciprian. Speaking in favor of keeping the Constitution, Schreck’s opinion carries powerful relevance.
“The reason our Constitution has lasted so long is because it contains the tools of its own correction. And it also contains the tools we need to free ourselves from tyranny. And we need these tools right now.”