What The Constitution Means To Me is now on Prime

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 10/16/20 at 3:20am

A reminder to everyone that it starts streaming on Amazon Prime right now!

[bear88]

Posted: 10/16/20 at 3:47am

Between this show and Death of a Salesman and Heroes of the Fourth Turning, it's a flurry of interesting theater I've never seen that's now available. I missed What the Constitution Means to Me when it was at the Berkeley Rep, so I'm interested to see it. And I have never seen Death of a Salesman, oddly enough.

So I have some good theater to look forward to, even if it's on TV. 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/16/20 at 4:10am

Thanks for the reminder!

[Ravenclaw]

Posted: 10/16/20 at 4:55am

Well, rather expectedly, I stayed up until this ridiculous hour to watch it, and I found it every bit as moving as the two times I was fortunate enough to see it live (once on Broadway and once on tour). I am so glad that this is available for everyone to watch, and I am so glad that that this came out now--not just because of the upcoming election, but also because things have been so hard lately, it feels like a blessing to reencounter a piece of art that is so inspiring.

I will say that the frequent cutting to audience reactions did bother me a bit, it felt just a little too much. But what a small criticism in the grand scheme of things. 

I really hope that this becomes a very buzzed-about piece on streaming just as it was in the theatre community last year, and I hope that it's seen by many, many people. I hope it doesn't get lost among the many, many options of programs to stream at any given moment. Everyone in America deserves to see it, and everyone in America needs to see it.

[Dkinny23]

Posted: 10/18/20 at 10:23pm

Wow that was incredible! I never had a chance to see this when it was on broadway and I am so glad we were honored with a filmed version. That was some of the best storytelling I’ve seen in a while and it was just such a refreshing show. So relevant. So in your face. So what we need right now. Hope a lot of people get a chance to check this one out!

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 10/19/20 at 11:37am

Just saw it and absolutely loved it. It reminds you about the roots theatre has in debate and political discourse.

I also preordered the script, and I’m really interested to find out what was scripted and what isn’t.

[quizking101]

Posted: 10/19/20 at 2:07pm

I felt like I was right back in the theatre watching this for the very first time, and that alone is high praise in and of itself.

It’s so hard to grip the fact that this was primarily scripted and rehearsed and not just an extremely effective stream-of-consciousness.

[Jarethan]

Posted: 10/19/20 at 4:55pm

I never saw it on Broadway. After the first 5-7 minutes, my wife and I really got into it and ended up loving it. It was just so well conceived and executed. I feared that it might be a dull exercise — friends were underwhelmed — but that was never the case.

I was particularly taken by the young lady who participated in the debate. What charisma!! I assume the entire debate was written by Heidi S., but she came across as sharp as a tack.

Interestingly, both of us felt that we did not miss seeing it in a theatre; rather than seeing it in the cramped (whatever it has is called these days) theatre, we sat (or in my case, stretched out) in the comfort of out TV room.

Most plays (and all musicals) cry out to be seen live. Perhaps because it was essentially a lecture, it didn’t matter.

[Kitsune]

Posted: 10/19/20 at 6:45pm

Jarethan said: "I never saw it on Broadway. After the first 5-7 minutes, my wife and I really got into it and ended up loving it. It was just so well conceived and executed. I feared that it might be a dull exercise — friends were underwhelmed — but that was never the case.

I was particularly taken by the young lady who participated in the debate. What charisma!! I assume the entire debate was written by Heidi S., but she came across as sharp as a tack.

Interestingly, both of us felt that we did not miss seeing it in a theatre; rather than seeing it in the cramped (whatever it has is called these days) theatre, we sat (or in my case, stretched out) in the comfort of out TV room.

Most plays (and all musicals) cry out to be seen live. Perhaps because it was essentially a lecture, it didn’t matter."

There were two (alternating) young women who participated in the debate at the end. I vaguely recall that each wrote their own case as to why the Constitution should be Kept / Abolished, so I don't think it was totally scripted.

I loved seeing it in the theater, but I'm thrilled to hear that it also works well in the taped format.

[Dancingthrulife2]

Posted: 10/19/20 at 11:11pm

This show is a testament to the magic of live theater. Being in the theater, the stories by Heidi felt so much more personal then the filmed version, which was further intruded by the intercuts of audience reactions. During the debate, I could feel the tension brewing and the waiting for the result in bated breath with everyone in audience... It’s not a bad proshot, it’s just that there’s so much to the live elements of the theatrical experience that simply cannot be translated onto the screen.

[bjh2114]

Posted: 10/20/20 at 9:53pm

Kitsune said: "There were two (alternating) young women who participated in the debate at the end. I vaguely recall that each wrote their own case as to why the Constitution should be Kept / Abolished, so I don't think it was totally scripted."

Actually, the text was fully scripted and the same for both girls. I saw each of them on two separate nights, and the text was exactly the same.

[SouthernCakes]

Posted: 10/20/20 at 10:19pm

I was really taken with this! I put it on just to see how it was filmed and then watched the whole thing. So good!

[John Adams]

Posted: 10/21/20 at 1:41pm

For an interesting binge watch, follow up your viewing of "What the Constitution Means to Me" on Amazon with the documentary, "Boys State" on Apple TV+ (use the one-week, 'free trial' option).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1Kh_T5ZBIM (Boys State trailer on YouTube)

[Broadway Flash]

Posted: 10/21/20 at 4:26pm

death of a salesman is streaming somewhere?

[starcatchers]

Posted: 10/22/20 at 1:21pm

bjh2114 said: "Kitsune said: "There were two (alternating) young women who participated in the debate at the end. I vaguely recall that each wrote their own case as to why the Constitution should be Kept / Abolished, so I don't think it was totally scripted."

Actually, the text was fully scripted and the same for both girls. I saw each of them on two separate nights, and the text was exactly the same."

I’m watching the bonus feature now and they switched sides, so it’s not exactly the same. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 10/22/20 at 5:33pm

Caught most of it today, had to leave it right when the debate segment began and I can’t wait to finish it.
It’s an amazing show and I hope it can still find its way back to Chicago when this is all over.

I think this should be mandatory viewing for every justice about to be confirmed to the Supreme Court right now.