Delta once sponsored a production of Julius Caesar where the emperor looked like Obama
On Sunday, Delta Air Lines yanked its sponsorship of a controversial performance of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar in New York City, which depicts the titular emperor as a Trump-like figure. The corporate protest took specific issue with the play's famous assassination scene, which was criticized by Fox News for "appear[ing] to depict President Trump being brutally stabbed to death by women and minorities."
But in 2012, Delta Air Lines took no issue with sponsoring an Obama-inspired Julius Caesar performance in Minneapolis, Broadway World has discovered. From a review of that performance:
In fact, many presidents have been depicted in various productions as the betrayed emperor:
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Delta said in a statement Sunday that "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 [the company's] values." Bank of America also pulled its funding of the production.
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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
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