Posted on 06/06/2017 2:22:17 PM PDT by 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.
Mental illness on public display.
These snowflakes keep advocating violence but sure enough if it starts they will all be running to their perceived safe space.
...and idiots love to print this stuff, and idiots read this stuff and idiots post this stuff...
The F.B.I. will be making its call.
Liberals are mired in a sewer of hate they cannot escape from.
these snowflakes better be careful because Karma is a witch! they keep putting all of this unhinged stuff out there and the mentally unstable will take it semi seriously
E tu Brute’...?
A situation that just cries out for Detective Frank Drebin - Leslie Nielsen, you died too young!
Et tu ryan
there was talk of another Naked Gun sequel a while back..
Kathy Griffin was channeling for millions of vile Leftards.
They must be blocked, thrashed, and kept far from political, police, and bureaucratic powers.
Oh wait, they have already infested most of our institutions quite thoroughly. We are in big trouble.
“Look at me!!! Ohhhhh pllllllllleeeeeeaaaaaaassseeeee look at me!!” Pretty much covers an actors personality.
Can Trump actually be Caesar for a few years? Bring the Army into D.C. and clean up the craphole? He is the God-Emporer after all.
If he was 5% of the fascist they claim he is they’d be languishing in a FEMA camp picking the maggots out of their gruel.
I only hope that the m*slims that Trump is trying to keep out kill these people first.
I’ve had it with these people.
L
Your comment makes me wish he were 5% (or more) of the fascist they say he is...I’d pay to see a reality program of that.
Where’s Lt Dreben when you need him?
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