Art that inspires emotion and provokes thought and discussion is art at its best.
When the subject is religion or politics or sex, people tend to take sides, and that’s OK. Your reaction to a painting or a theater piece lets the world know who you are just as sure as a bumper sticker that says, “I ♥ (fill in what you love).”
Attempts to declare art obscene, offensive or harmful come with the territory — as do attempts to stifle it.
The current debate over New York Public Theater's production of “Julius Caesar,” at that company’s Shakespeare in the Park through June 18, brings into focus how one person’s outrage is another’s esteem.
The production brings the Shakespeare play up-to-date, with Caesar unmistakably portrayed as a Donald Trump-like character: blond hair, long red tie, European wife.
As a reflection of the current political climate, that representation is a little too on the nose for a play about assassinating the leader of the republic. Those opposed include Delta Airlines and Bank of America, which pulled their names as sponsors of the Public and triggered the conversation over whether this production had gone too far.
On Wednesday, after the shooting of Republican House Whip Steve Scalise, Rep. Sean P. Duffy (R-Wis.) told The Washinton Post “the shooting should spur reflection on the angry national climate, including representations in the media of violence against elected officials.”
He wasn’t alone. South Carolina political commentator Harlan Z. Hill tweeted, “Events like today are EXACTLY why we took issue with NY elites glorifying the assassination of our President.”
The New York Public had previously issued a statement standing by its production, saying varying views are “exactly the goal of our civically engaged theater ... Our production of ‘Julius Caesar’ in no way advocates violence toward anyone. Shakespeare’s play, and our production, make the opposite point: Those who attempt to defend democracy by undemocratic means pay a terrible price and destroy the very thing they are fighting to save. For over 400 years, Shakespeare’s play has told this story and we are proud to be telling it again in Central Park.”
Artistic director Oskar Eustis put it succinctly, telling the opening-night audience, “ ‘Julius Caesar’ can be read as a warning parable to those who try to fight for democracy by undemocratic means.”
Like most of Shakespeare’s plays, “Julius Caesar” has been given a contemporary spin time and again. In fact, five years ago, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis created a touring production that featured a black actor who resembled then-President Barack Obama and conspirators who many saw as stand-ins for Republican leaders Eric Cantor and Mitch McConnell, according to American Theatre magazine.
“That production toured the country, with no backlash — with Delta as a sponsor,” the magazine reported, and noted the airline’s continued support of the Guthrie.
“I haven’t seen the Public’s production of the play, but I know the conversation is not about whether it’s a good production or not, or whether Caesar is a hero or villain,” Guthrie artistic director Joseph Haj told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I feel for Oskar [Eustis] and the Public, because it’s complicated. Corporate sponsors have been vitally important to the health of the American theater — they’ve been extraordinary partners over many decades. But there’s also been a firewall there. I’ve never had a conversation with a sponsor that has been around the art-making itself.”
The folks who are angry or who fear an outcry because of the New York production likely are outraged by the idea of a character who is to be assassinated resembling President Trump, without regard for the tale being told.
Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” debuted in 1599, when Queen Elizabeth was in her mid-60s and had produced no heir to the throne — a time of uncertainty for the Brits, to be sure. The play, based on an historical account, portrays the assassination of Caesar by one-time allies who feared he would turn the Roman Republic into a monarchy.
“I think the general drift of it is: Be careful, you might get what you want,” Shakespeare scholar Stephen Greenblatt told The New York Times. “The very thing that you think you’re doing to protect the republic can lead to the end of the republic.”
If there is a silver lining to the debate over the current “Julius Caesar,” it is that the show goes on and the debate continues. Better yet, someone might actually pick up a copy of “Julius Caesar” and marvel at all the quotes that have common usage today.
Shakespeare has Brutus say, “There is a tide in the affairs of men. / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune.” To borrow the phrase and insert it in this conversation, it would be a fortunate outcome to ride a wave of civilized discourse toward an understanding — that disagreement about art is not about shutting it down. It is where the conversation begins.
Sharon Eberson: seberson@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1960. Twitter: @SEberson_pg.
First Published: June 14, 2017, 7:22 p.m.
