Senators Stab Donald Trump to Death in Central Park Performance of Shakespeare’s 'Julius Caesar'

Mediate.com ^ | 2:19pm June 6th | Aiden McLaughlin

[drewh]

According to Playbill, The Public Theater’s Oskar Eustis directed the Trump-inspired take on the classic political drama, which boasts famed stage actor John Douglas Thompson and House of Cards star Corey Stoll in its cast.

The choice of Julius Caesar for the annual program is one dripping with subtext, chosen deliberately for the supposed parallels between the Roman dictator and Trump. A description of the play on The Public Theater’s website states that “Shakespeare’s political masterpiece has never felt more contemporary.”

It describes the Roman leader as “Magnetic, populist, irreverent,” and “bent on absolute power.” The description also notes that a “small band of patriots, devoted to the country’s democratic traditions, must decide how to oppose him.”

Those who have read Shakespeare’s play know how that opposition manifests itself (brace for spoilers): a group of conspirators — including his friends Cassius and Brutus — stab Caesar to death on the Senate floor.

Laura Sheaffer, a sales manager at Salem Media who attended a performance of Julius Caesar on Saturday, first described the the Trump-inspired performance during an interview with Joe Piscopo on AM 970 THE ANSWER, the audio of which you can hear below.

“The actor playing Caesar was dressed in a business suit, with a royal blue tie, hanging a couple inches below the belt line, with reddish-blonde hair — just like Trump,” Sheaffer told Mediaite.

“I always go to Shakespeare in the park, but I wasn’t expecting to see this,” Sheaffer said, adding that the script was mostly loyal to the original Shakespeare, and that there was no explicit reference to the American president, though the intention was “blatantly obvious.”

In the scene before Caesar is assassinated, his wife Calpurnia begs him to stay away from the Senate, claiming she is having nightmares of his murder. According to Sheaffer, the actress playing Calpurnia bore a resemblance to first lady Melania Trump — replete with a “Slavic accent.”

Sheaffer also noted that in the scene, the actor playing Trump Caesar steps out of a bathtub stark naked, which she said struck her as disrespectful, and a “mockery of the office of the President.”

In the next scene the Trumpian Caesar is attacked by the Senators and stabbed to death as an American flag hovers overhead, according to Sheaffer. “They had the full murder scene onstage, and blood was spewing everywhere out of his body.”

“To be honest I thought it was shocking and distasteful,” Sheaffer continued. “If this had happened to any other president — even as recently as Barack Obama or George W. Bush — it would not have flown. People would have been horrified.”

“I mean it was the on-stage murder of the president of the United States,” she said.

Sheaffer pointed out that the play ends with Marc Anthony celebrating Brutus for his bravery, saving the Romans from Caesar’s rule. “The message it sent was that if you don’t support the president, it’s ok to assassinate him.”

“I don’t love President Trump, but he’s the president. You can’t assassinate him on a stage,” Sheaffer said.

The Public Theater’s brutal on-stage murder of a fluffy blonde haired, long-tie wearing Caesar comes as Kathy Griffin’s photoshoot posing with a facsimile of Donald Trump’s severed head was met with swift, universal, bipartisan outrage and condemnation.

“Kathy Griffin got so much coverage for what she did, everyone was horrified, so why is no one horrified by this, which is essentially the murder of the President of the United States in front of 2,000 people?” Sheaffer said.

“The performance was well done, and the actors did a good job. It was fascinating to see the parallels between the Trump administration and Caesar’s rule, but murdering the president on stage was just too far,” Sheaffer concluded.

[grayboots]

Just look at the comment section in this leftist rag about the same story. They are demented.
https://www.rawstory.com/2017/06/central-park-performance-of-julius-caesar-features-senators-stabbing-trump-to-death/?comments=disqus

[the_daug]

A metaphor for not repealing Obama care.

[Mercat]

Shakespeare wrote most of his plays during the reign of Elizabeth I... a tyrant who controlled every detail she could of her peoples lives. She was especially hard on Catholics. There are researchers of Shakespeare who believe that he was a secret Catholic. So assassinations in his plays are fraught with danger for the author and the cast.

[DoughtyOne]

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[libstripper]

Sheaffer pointed out that the play ends with Marc Anthony celebrating Brutus for his bravery, saving the Romans from Caesar’s rule. “The message it sent was that if you don’t support the president, it’s ok to assassinate him.”

I wonder if this correctly states what Scheaffer actually said. I've see the play several times and have read it. Antony's oration started out calling Brutus and the other conspirators "honorable men" but, once Antony had his audience with him, turned into a scathing denunciation of Brutus and the conspirators. Indeed it incited a bloody revolt against the conspirators, a revolt that became a civil war that resulted in the deaths of all the conspirators, something that's depicted in the original play.

If Antony's oration is so edited as to turn it around into actual praise for Brutus and the conspirators and the end of the play is left off, then it's real incitement for the assassination of President Trump, something the SS MUST INVESTIGATE.

[freefdny]

“Sheaffer pointed out that the play ends with Marc Anthony celebrating Brutus for his bravery, saving the Romans from Caesar’s rule. “The message it sent was that if you don’t support the president, it’s ok to assassinate him.”
Marc Antony saying Brutus is an honorable man isn’t exactly saying he’s honorable. That’s a great speech. And I don’t think Caesar is the bad guy.

[Vaquero]

Et Tu McBrute!

[SaveFerris]

LOL

That’s his policy!

[SaveFerris]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFEK0Sbq4o8

He killed 5 actors! GOOD ones!

[SaveFerris]

If it had been an Obama likeness, they’d all be in jail.

Let’s put these people in jail.

[xrmusn]

chuckle

[xrmusn]

chuckle

[dfwgator]

Did they perform it with an Aldis Lamp?

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Liberals are mired in a sewer of hate they cannot escape from.

And always have been. One thing to remember about Julius Caesar is that in Roman terms he was on the left. And the guys who led the conspiracy - Brutus, Cassius, Decimus, were all on the progressive side of Roman politics.

Basically, Caesar, a leftist thug, assumed more power than his supporters were comfortable with so his guys had the Casca brothers whack him. Italian history really hasn't changed much from Plutarch to Puzo. In fact, if you read Puzo, Plutarch makes more sense. :o)

[Impy]

“Corey Stoll “

Not cool Eph!!!!!!!!!!!!

[GOPsterinMA]

(((Corey Stoll))). Enough said. Just as irritating IRL as he is on screen.

Looks like “The Strain” is ending at the right time. I don’t need to watch leftists and their political dysentery.

[stephenjohnbanker]

I never watch leftists either. Too many other ways to spend time.

[Bookwoman]

The most important insight here is that the people who do this, whether Kathy Griffin or these actors or others, are normalizing the act of killing the President, which is horrifying. They are putting that idea out in the mass consciousness, and each time they do, there will be less shock and horror. This is dangerous. There have been enough attempts on his life already. I will do my part and increase my prayers for our President. This behavior has to stop.

[exit82]

Obviously, they did not have the balls to do this a year ago when Obama was President.

They should have been applauded with a shower of flying rotten tomatoes.

[Kickass Conservative]

Funny how the “pen and a phone” guy was perfectly fine, but the pro Constitution and Law and Order guy is a Tyrant.