B. James Wilson – Sugar Hill, Ga. April 18, 2021

Last night at Lanier High School in Buford, I attended a play written, produced and directed by one of the drama students in the school’s senior class. The title of the play was “Duplicity”, and it was so well written and performed that it could have played on, or off Broadway. It was a true work of genius, and the author, Eliana Keasler, I predict, will be a force to contend with in both theater and the literary world.

“Duplicity” is the story of a young lady who has grown from childhood with a transplanted heart beating in her chest, a heart that has a life and a will of its own, for, the donor, a child, a girl named Clair, was not ready to die on the day that an accident took her life. Instead, her soul clung to that heart as it was transplanted into Phoebe’s body. As Phoebe grew and became a teenager, she was confused by the voice she had always heard in her head, a voice that, as the years went by, became angry and bitter. While Phoebe’s mother and her doctor had figured out that Clair’s soul and spirit, were growing inside Phoebe, they thought it best to keep that reality from her.

There comes a time in every child’s life, however, that the seeds of rebellion begin to grow. It is the natural consequence of sin that entered into the world, and into each of us, from the beginning. In Phoebe’s case, the voice in her head begins to double the power of temptation, urging her to go out into the world and “join the party”, as it were. Phoebe tries to resist, but Clair becomes more and more powerful, until she is able to take control of Phoebe’s life, her voice, her body, and the choices she makes.

The only stabilizing force in Phoebe’s life is her friend Tristen, a young man she has grown up with. Tristen tries hard to restrain Phoebe from fulfilling Clair’s desires but Clair forces Phoebe to reject him. Tristen knows that the voice in Phoebe’s head is not her own, but he has been directed by Phoebe’s doctor and her mother to never reveal that disturbing truth to Phoebe. None-the-less, Tristen firmly believes that the truth will bring healing, that the truth will set Phoebe free.

In the end, it is Clair who is set free. Learning the truth, that she died as a little girl and that her heart was transplanted into Phoebe’s body, Clair is freed to move on. Phoebe is restored to a normal life. Having resisted all the temptation that was forced upon her, she returns to Tristen’s side, and the two enter life together, kept pure by their isolation.

In a surprising twist, the student who was to play the lead role was unable to perform, so Eliana Keasler took on the role of Phoebe herself, in a flawless and impressive performance. I must also give kudos to her excellent, supporting cast. Without their deeply felt performances, it goes without saying, this stunning work could not have stood so tall. In conclusion, the least that I can say about “Duplicity” is Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Congratulations to Ms. Keasler who is also the author of a novel entitled “Attu Island“, available now from Lulu, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and others.