Written by orange• October 14, 2025• 4:38 am• Anaheim, Review, The Chance Theater, Theater, Uncategorized

What the Constitution Means to Me @ Chance Theater – Review

Photos by Doug Catiller

Written by Patrick Chavis

What The Constitution Means To Me is playing now at the Chance Theater, October 3 – 26, 2025.

Music to read the review:

The tune for this show has got to be “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life,” which Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes made popular in the 1980s movie Dirty Dancing. Don’t put Baby in the corner or the Constitution. Like Baby, we also want to be free.

Story:

This 3-hander, dramatic comedy, is narrated by Heidi (Aubrey Saverino), a champion constitutional debater. In this piece, she delves into the nitty-gritty of the oldest written framework of government in the world—the American Constitution. Through lived stories about the women in her family, Heidi explains how the Constitution has affected their lives. The show also explores how the Constitution has changed so many others’ lives for the better and how it has been an impediment for women, minorities, and the poor since it was ratified in 1788. This play tackles both sides of a document that has undoubtedly changed the world!

There is nothing flashy about this show. I could see this produced in smaller venues than the Chance and with even simpler staging. WTCMTM is a well-written piece and concept, and until we propose a whole new style of government, the discussions raised in this piece are more than worthy of discussion.

Direction/Acting:

But what makes it work? This show is written around and dependent on the lead, Heidi (Aubrey Saverino), who is almost up on stage for the majority of the play, which is 1 hour and 40 minutes with no intermission. That’s no short order. There are some brief rest periods when Robert Foran (Legionnaire) and Reya Shah (who played the role of Debater at my show) take center stage. Saverino, with the energy of a Greek Tragedy Cry, manages not only to motivate the audience but also barely seems to be acting with her very sincere performance. Regarding the Greek Tragedy Cry, you’ll get the reference if you see the show. I promise.

The debate between Saverino and Shah’s characters near the end is passionate and felt real from this reviewer’s vantage point. Shah, who is a debater in real life, and you could tell from her performance alone, with sharp lines that definitely put Saverino on the ropes. I was there for the show. I didn’t know I was gonna see a verbal brawl, but of course it was all in good fun. Or was it? It was.

Scenic/Costume:

Scenic designer Megan Hill’s very symmetrical design keeps the focus on the podium in the middle of the stage. It’s surrounded by a red carpet, and in the back, an enlarged reproduction of the Constitution. Pictures of Legionnaires bookend both sides of the podium, showing a large number of men on either side of the stage. In the context of the show, the design makes a lot of sense, given the topic of how men in authority — particularly white men — wielded significant power in decisions affecting women’s rights in the past and, to a lesser extent, in the present.

Costume Designer Gwen Sloan’s sharp suits, and my favorite, the hot-pink blazer, get the job done and capture Heidi’s hot personality.

This show is theater at its most straightforward and undeniably entertaining. It’s learning made fun. Schoolhouse Rock, eat your heart out.

I give What The Constitution Means To Me at the Chance Theater an 8.7 out of 10! Great Show! OCR Recommended!