The play 'Julius Ceasar' at has drawn widespread scorn from people close to the White House for taking artistic freedom a bit too far. The play, which is supposed to be a modern take on 'Julius Caesar' appears to show a character loosely based on US President Donald Trump being knifed to death. Several high profile sponsors have pulled out and issued statements about their shock at the play.
Too edgy for comfort
The play at The Public Theater depicts a dictator, who wears business suits, has a Slavic wife and is eventually knifed to death by his enemies.
The character even has a gold bathtub, which is probably a nod to the interiors of Donald Trump's Trump Tower penthouse in New York City.
For anyone who has not been living under a rock for the past year or so, it would not be difficult to come to the conclusion that the writers of the play depicted the murder of US President Donald Trump in their play. Now, it is important to point out that at no point in the play has the character been called Donald Trump but very little is left to the imagination. The condemnation and backlash started soon after from individuals, who found it in poor taste and felt that it encouraged violence towards the President of the United States.
Some sponsors have pulled out
Among the sponsors, Delta Airlines and Bank of America have condemned the content of the play and pulled their sponsorships. On the other hand, American Express condemned the depiction as well but decided against actually discontinuing their association with The Public Theater.
While Delta stated that the play crossed a line as far as artistic license is concerned, Bank of America stated that the play was meant to offend and the bank would not have sponsored it had they known about the contents of the play.
The artistic director of the theater and the director of the play Oskar Eustis, however, defended the play. He said that if people actually made the effort to watch the play then they would realize that 'Julius Ceasar' does not in any way support violence towards any person.
Public Theater has long been known as the seat of avant-garde plays that dwell on themes and are often provocative for audiences.
More often than not, the theater gives a modern touch to age old classics. However, it seems that this time the Public Theater has gone a bit too far. However, at the same time, the publicity might see the play attract huge audiences till its run ends on Sunday.
