In the absorbing and timely “What the Constitution Means to Me,” which opened last weekend at Chance Theater, the main character says halfway along “There are no tangents in this show.”
That would seem an unlikely pronouncement since the line immediately follows a tearful lament about the fate of a sock puppet monkey named George the Second’s Friend and leads into dry, recorded audio of a Supreme Court justice considering a constitutional amendment and wondering whether the word “shall” actually means “shall.”
But in her Pulitzer Prize-nominated 2017 work, playwright Heidi Schreck’s imaginative weave of constitutional debate with personal and familial reminiscence adroitly steers a clear, focused questioning and indictment of America’s historical lack of a legal framework for providing women protection and minimal recourse from violent mistreatment by men.
A satisfying non-tangent: all this emerges in a manner that’s neither dry nor grim.
Schreck originally performed the autobiographical main role herself. At Chance the role is superbly delivered by a stellar acting resource of the theater’s recent seasons, Aubrey Saverino.
Aubrey Saverino and Robert Foran star in “What the Constitution Means to Me,” playing at Chance Theater through Oct. 26. (Photo by Doug Catiller) Aubrey Saverino in “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Chance Theater. (Photo by Doug Catiller) Aubrey Saverino and Robert Foran star in “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Chance Theater. (Photo by Doug Catiller) Robert Foran and Aubrey Saverino appear in “What the Constitution Means to Me,” playing at Chance Theater through Oct. 26. (Photo by Doug Catiller) Robert Foran stars in “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Chance Theater. (Photo by Doug Catiller) Aubrey Saverino stars in “What the Constitution Means to Me,” playing at Chance Theater in Anaheim through Oct. 26. (Photo by Doug Catiller) Show Caption1 of 6Aubrey Saverino and Robert Foran star in “What the Constitution Means to Me,” playing at Chance Theater through Oct. 26. (Photo by Doug Catiller) ExpandMemorably in 2023 Saverino fully occupied the one-woman play “Matinicus: The Story of Abigail Burgess.”
That confident tight-wire act, with its time shifts and various mini-characterizations, was a useful precedence for her here as the predominant presence in this three-performer, intermissionless piece.
Sporting an animated smile, and an appropriately tri-colored bright red blazer, white top and blue jeans, Saverino introduces herself — “Hi, I’m Heidi!” — as an overeager 15-year-old raising college money by endeavoring to win debates at American Legion halls.
In this guise, Saverino is breathless with excitement. From describing the Constitution as a “living, warm-blooded, steamy document” to personal asides — Patrick Swayze and “Dirty Dancing” are a recurring preoccupation — the actress ends declarative sentences with little wheezy gulps of air, excitedly barreling ahead to her next point.
A strength of the show is the nontheatrical, matter-of-fact manner in which the Heidi character often breaks the fourth wall.
This funds Saverino the naturalistic tonal shifts into her character’s feminist, middle-aged adult self, summoning memories and deductions about the lives of her grandmother and mother.
These are more forcefully delivered and notably punctuated at one point with a 15-second wrenching wail — “inherited trauma” as the character describes it.
It doesn’t take much guesswork to sense that Saverino and director Katie Chidester have worked the timings and pauses in the dialogue into a compelling strength.
The other character on stage throughout is simply titled “Legionnaire.”
Robert Foran appears in a scene from “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Chance Theater. (Photo by Doug Catiller)In that role actor Robert Foran both runs and moderates the debates. He also delivers an open, heartfelt monologue from his character’s life about coming to terms with being a “soft,” bullied youth and how he welled up confidence without toxic behavior.
Chance’s production is deceivingly straightforward and staid.
American and American Legion flags on stands are at the back of stage while drab, last-century brown paneled walls flank the sides, bearing the weight of three rows of black and white photos of stern-faced, unforgiving legionnaires.
Mostly, it’s a straightforward rendering, with light director Kara Ramlow’s occasional lighting cues providing subtle shadings to amplify the spoken words.
The show ends with an added swerve of perspective.
As a postscript, “What the Constitution Means to Me” ends with a 20-minute debate about whether the Constitution should be abolished.
Saverino, now identifying as herself, introduces a whip-sharp Orange County High School of the Arts teen named Reya Shah (Shah rotates performances with another teen named Maria Wang).
Reya Shah and Aubrey Saverino appear in a scene from “What the Constitution Means to Me” at Chance Theater. (Photo by Doug Catiller)After Foran tossed a coin, Shah chose to argue for keeping the Constitution, Saverino for dispensing it. The audience was encouraged to hoot and holler as points were scored through the back-and-forth arguments.
Following the spirited exchange, a random audience member (guaranteed not a plant … at my performance it turned out to be someone I once worked with, no idea this wise a jurist was in the house) is chosen to represent the audience and in this case the Constitution continuing to stand was the winner.
As it turns out, it is the audience experiencing this compelling piece of personalized political theater who depart as winners.
‘What the Constitution Means to Me’
Rating: 3 1/2 (of four) stars
When: Through Oct. 26. 8 p.m. Fridays, 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays.
Where: Chance Theater, Cripe Stage, 5522 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim
Tickets: $12-$48
Information: 888-455-4212; chancetheater.com
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