When I walked into the Keegan Theatre Saturday evening to see the galvanizing play #Charlottesville, I noticed two changes since I reviewed this play at the Capital Fringe Festival one year and eight months ago: this play is no longer about one portentous and isolated incident but, rather, this play is a succinct encapsulation of an incident that is a mirror of what is going on in society at the present time.
The second change I noticed was on an aesthetic level: the original play that I reviewed on July 19, 2023 was more of a developing workshop whereas we now have a fully- developed play with more fluid character transitions courtesy of the mesmerizing dramatic skills of performer Priyanka Shetty. Ms. Shetty transitions from character to character with absorbing skill and aplomb. The vast number of characters performer Shetty has to portray must be a huge and taxing physical endurance test and Ms. Shetty amazes with her agility and dynamic stage presence — there are complete characterizations which are truthfully and naturally presented.
The utilization of very striking and impressive visual projections by Dylan Uremovitch adds immeasurably … by conveying the differing trajectories of the other figures involved in the proceeding — these include the hateful Jason Kessler, Richard B. Spencer, and Matthew Heimbach.
There are also provocative and dryly witty projections of Ms. Shetty as a newscaster and a commentator. Poetic and symbolic images of snow falling, torches flaring, and a woman sobbing help to visually propel this harrowing narrative.
Charlottesville, Virginia takes on the persona of almost being a character in the play itself — somewhat akin to the way in which Laramie, Wyoming became a distinct focal point of the play The Laramie Project.
Layers upon layers are intertwined — Ms. Shetty’s overarching perspective is embedded in her roles as an idealistic drama student at the University of Virginia, while she is alternately realistically embedded in the milieu of the town of Charlottesville, Virginia.
Ms. Shetty’s original writing of this play based on transcript sand interviews is masterful and tautly immersive for the audience. A grieving mother of a killed protester, a drama university teacher, and a friend from the University all constitute some of the many characters portrayed by Ms. Shetty in this jolting and beautifully realized production.
