{"id":366072,"date":"2025-03-23T19:48:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-23T23:48:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/?p=366072"},"modified":"2025-03-23T19:48:44","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T23:48:44","slug":"charlottesville-at-keegan-theatre-makes-old-news-urgent-and-entertaining","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dctheaterarts.org\/2025\/03\/23\/charlottesville-at-keegan-theatre-makes-old-news-urgent-and-entertaining\/","title":{"rendered":"‘#CHARLOTTESVILLE’ at Keegan Theatre makes old news urgent and entertaining"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it <\/em>\u2014 the famous quote by the philosopher George Santayana \u2014 was running through my mind as I watched\/witnessed #CHARLOTTESVILLE<\/em>, written and performed by Priyanka Shetty, in its world premiere at the Keegan Theatre under the creative direction of Yury Urnov.<\/p>\n

#CHARLOTTESVILLE<\/em> was developed in part by Voices Festival Productions, which produced a workshop<\/a> production of the play for the Capital Fringe Festival in July 2023.<\/p>\n

With the the current administration\u2019s flood-the-news-zone strategy, yesterday seems a decade, and August 11 and 12, 2017, seem like ages ago, but as the play\u2019s last line resounds ominously: these two days \u201cwere not an anomaly, but a warning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"
Priyanka Shetty in \u2018#CHARLOTTESVILLE.\u2019 Photo by Cameron Whitman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Unite the Right rally on August 11, James Alex Fields\u2019 subsequent vehicular murder of Heather Heyer on August 12, and his trial in 2018, which laid all the blame on a lone-wolf driver, all happened in the \u201csecond-friendliest town in the United States\u201d and feel like old news. What Shetty does in this innovative, avant-garde solo production is make it urgent.<\/p>\n

She also makes it entertaining. Inhabiting over a dozen characters, this performance artist makes an Anna Deavere Smith star turn as an actor-writer.<\/p>\n

The most entertaining scene was the most absurd \u2014 the Cabaret<\/em>-style takedown tribute to the \u201cCrying Nazi\u2019 Christopher Cantwell, alt-right radio host and provocateur at the Charlottesville rally. The subsequent video of him sobbing at his arrest warrant went viral. Shetty\u2019s mocking is sharp and witty and offers the relief and power of laughter and cheers.<\/p>\n

The most touching and moving scenes of the play are when Shetty gives us her younger self struggling with \u201cSusan,\u201d the department chair in the dramatic arts programs at the University of Virginia. These moments provide insights into #CHARLOTTESVILLE<\/em>\u2019s development as well as the actor-writer\u2019s life as an immigrant, as a student facing racism among her peers and professors, and her struggle to find her own voice in the university community.<\/p>\n

The emotional center of the play is with Shetty\u2019s portrayal of Heather Heyer\u2019s mother, Susan Bro. Here we witness not just a powerful actor-writer at work but the personal cost of hate, senseless violence, and illiberalism. Her loss is our loss. It\u2019s searing.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Priyanka Shetty in \u2018#CHARLOTTESVILLE.\u2019 Photo by Cameron Whitman.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At points, a few of the characters that Shetty inhabits get lost in the shuffle of history and information overload. The courtroom moments leave one wondering which side is arguing for who and what. The satire could have been sharper with her portrayal of the 45th, now 47th, president \u2014 though these days, he takes the oxygen out of the room even in satire. However, when the play pulls into the personal, into the impact on those who were there as witnesses from the community, into her own sense of anger and outrage, the experience is effectively immersive.<\/p>\n

Yury Urnov\u2019s directing skillfully leans into the one-person drama. Multiple screens display video, and black-and-white images work with a minimum of sound and lighting shifts on a stage bearing a single key prop \u2014 the American flag \u2014 to signal character and mood shifts. The intimate setting of the Keegan Theatre is perfect for this one-person show.<\/p>\n

While this play might have benefited from going deeper into fewer characters and employing more absurdity to contrast with, it has overall a deep, meaningful, and moving message to convey: August 11 and 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia, was a warning. Are we remembering?<\/em><\/p>\n

Running Time: 70 minutes, no intermission.<\/p>\n

#CHARLOTTESVILLE<\/strong><\/em><\/a> plays through April 13, 2025, at the Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St NW, Washington DC, with performances Thursdays-Saturdays at 8:00 pm, Sundays at 3:00 pm, and select Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:00 pm. Tickets are $59 ($49 students and seniors) and may be purchased online<\/strong><\/a>, by phone at 202-265-3767, or in person at the Keegan Theatre Box Office, which opens on the day of the show one hour prior to the performance.<\/p>\n

Cast and production team credits and bios are here<\/a> (scroll down).<\/p>\n

COVID Safety:<\/strong> Masks are optional but encouraged. Keegan\u2019s Health and Safety policies are here.<\/a><\/p>\n

SEE ALSO:<\/strong>
\nWorld premiere of \u2018#CHARLOTTESVILLE\u2019 to open at Keegan March 22 <\/a><\/strong>(news story, March 16, 2025)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Priyanka Shetty’s innovative, avant-garde solo performance has a meaningful and moving warning to convey. By CAROLINE BOCK<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":366079,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,18],"tags":[323,324],"class_list":{"0":"post-366072","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-featured","8":"category-reviews","9":"tag-priyanka-shetty","10":"tag-yury-urnov"},"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\n'#CHARLOTTESVILLE' at Keegan Theatre makes old news urgent and entertaining - 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