Et tu? Sponsors drop Trump-like Julius Caesar
Bank of America, Delta pull funding
Delta Air Lines and Bank of America both pulled their s ponsorship f r om New York’s Public Theater on Sunday after a production of Julius Caesar for Shakespeare in the Park, which depicts a Trump look-alike in the role of Caesar, began to make headlines.
In the play, an actor playing Caesar but dressed as Trump ( complete with a Slavic- accented Calpurnia, who bears a striking resemblance to Trump’s wife Melania) was stabbed to death in the third act, mimicking a Trump assassination.
Oskar Eustis, the Public Theater’s artistic director who also directed the play, said in a statement that “anyone seeing our production of Julius Caesar will realize it in no way advocates violence towards anyone,” reports The Associated Press.
He added that the original play and this production “make the opposite point: Those who attempt to defend democracy by undemocratic methods pay a terrible price and destroy their Republic. For over 400 years, Shakespeare’s play has told this story and we are proud to be telling it again in Central Park.”
In a statement, a spokesperson for Delta said, “No matter what your political stance may be, the graphic staging of Julius Caesar at this summer’s Free Shakespeare in the Park does not reflect Delta Air Lines’ values. Their artistic and creative direction crossed the line on the standards of good taste.”
Trump’s s on, Donald Trump, Jr., tweeted about the play, writing, “I wonder how much of this ‘ art’ is funded by taxpayers? Serious question, when does ‘art’ become political speech & does that change things?”
Although it has been running since late May, there still hasn’t been nearly as much outcry over it as there was over Kathy Griffin’s recent photo of herself posing with a fake severed Trump head. In fact, the play continues to sell out.
In a statement on the Public Theater website, Eustis said Shakespeare’s work “is about how fragile democracy is. The institutions that we have grown up with … can be swept away in no time at all.”
In case you’re interested in a production of Julius Caesar that has totally nothing at all to do with Trump even if it very much appears to, the play runs through to June 18.
(JULIUS CAESAR) IS ABOUT HOW FRAGILE DEMOCRACY IS. THE INSTITUTIONS WE HAVE GROWN UP WITH … CAN BE SWEPT AWAY IN NO TIME. — OSKAR EUSTIS