Legal Insurrection readers may have noticed that I sometimes refer to President Donald Trump as “Master of the Unexpected.”
That is a term of endearment among Trump’s fans who also love the 1963 epic, Cleopatra, as it refers to quote about Julius Caesar and his tactic that led to a victory over the Egyptian army.
However, a New York theater group has taken that analogy to a much darker level.
Shakespeare in the Park, an annual summer program by The Public Theater that puts on plays by William Shakespeare in Central Park, kicked off May 23 with a performance of Julius Caesar.But this rendition of Shakespeare’s tragedy comes with a twist — Caesar is played by a character that bears a striking resemblance to President Donald Trump.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.”
I hate to be a stickler for the trivialities of real history, but I would like to remind the cast, crew, and producers of this particular Julius Caesar that the victim was a populist much loved by the citizens of Rome. Furthermore, after a rousing and subtle speech by Caesar’s second-in-command, the “hero” assassins were forced to flee the eternal city and eventually died in shame and ignominy.
Frankly, aside from the populist tendencies, the only characteristics President Trump shares with Caesar are thinning hair and a passion for glamorous women.
The response to the theater group’s concept is foreseeable….for anyone with common sense, taste, and an interest in current events.
This brings me to the point upon which I would like to shine a spotlight: Much of this self-induced trouble that our entertainers and social justice warriors (e.g., Reality Winner) are experiencing is the result of the conservative-free “safe spaces” that they have created for themselves.
If Winner had just one Libertarian friend who was #FineWithTrump, then perhaps that person could have reminded her of the legal consequences of leaking classified materials without critical political connections and a bottle of chardonnay. If Kathy Griffin had one independent colleague who could have honestly told her how grotesque the video project was, then perhaps she would not have decapitated her career.
So, let this be a lesson to Trump haters in entertainment, the media, and government: The deplorables have “let slip the dogs of war” and we are no longer tolerating your clueless antics, your tasteless art, or your classless insults.
To #Resist or not to #Resist? If your livelihood depends on entertaining the general public (including those who voted for President Trump) or is reliant on tax dollars taken from deplorable Americans then remember: Discretion is the better form of valor.
Resist #Resist.
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