A New York production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” drawing parallels between the assassinated Roman ruler and Donald Trump was in the eye of a growing storm Monday, abandoned by corporate sponsors and sparking debate about freedom of expression.
The play, which first opened in Central Park on May 23 and runs to June 18, has attracted right-wing outrage for similarities between the way Caesar is depicted and the Republican commander-in-chief, who is hugely unpopular in New York.
Delta Air Lines and Bank of America pulled the sponsorship on Sunday in the face of mounting criticism that included the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., about the summer performance in Central Park.
Fox News reported Sunday that the play appears to depict the US president “being brutally stabbed to death by women and minorities,” saying that the title character looks “very similar to the tall, blond businessman” commander-in-chief.
The character’s wife was given a Slavic accent, in an apparent nod to Slovenian-born First Lady Melania Trump, and has been photographed dressed in Trump’s trademark dark suit, white shirt and red tie.
“Its depiction of a petulant, blondish Caesar in a blue suit, complete with gold bathtub and a pouty Slavic wife, takes onstage Trump-trolling to a startling new level,” The New York Times opined last week.
Delta said the “artistic and creative direction crossed the line on the standards of good taste,” and it was ending its sponsorship “effective immediately.”
“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,” the airline said in a statement.
Bank of America, which said it had an 11-year partnership with The Public Theater and Shakespeare in the Park, quickly followed suit.
“The Public Theater chose to present Julius Caesar in a way that was intended to provoke and offend,” a spokesperson said.
