OPINION: "But where was the conservative outrage when they cast Town Drunk Bob as Caesar instea

As a long-time member of the theater community at large*, I believe it is my duty to draw attention to theatrical malpractice when I see it. While conservatives rage over Shakespeare in the Park’s alleged depiction of an assassination of Donald Trump, a far greater issue goes unnoticed. In their fervor to denounce the current production of Julius Caesar, conservatives all over the internet seem to have forgotten the rich history of this play. Though it has been around since 1599, more recent productions of Julius Caesar have made far more egregious errors in their artistic vision, specifically: When Bratten Hills Community Theater chose to cast Town Drunk Bob as Caesar instead of me in their production of the 2013-2014 season.

The production was widely panned by well-respected critics, such as Carol Mudkins of the Bratten Hills Daily Post, who called it, “An irrelevant pile of steaming garbage.” (Editor’s note: Carol Mudkins is the wife of the Op-Ed writer, Jim Mudkins). Audiences were overheard leaving the theater making such disparaging comments as “The lighting was really nice,” and “Do you remember where we parked, Diane?” Despite the slew of negative reviews, BHCT director Barry Heartman stood by his casting choices. When questioned by this writer during a meeting at the local hardware store, he remarked, “Jim, please stop blocking the paint chips, I’m not recasting.”

For his part, Town Drunk Bob seemed unaffected by the controversy surrounding his casting. He flatly refused to accept help when a kind, more experienced actor offered to coach him through the complex role, even though I offered to do it free of charge. On opening night, he was spotted celebrating at the local pub by “generously buying a round for the entire cast” according to my former best friend, Paul Clayman, who had been aptly cast as Brutus.

However, despite the overwhelming evidence that this was one of the worst artistic decisions in decades, the conservative internet was (and continues to remain) silent. The outrage over the Public’s production can only be described as a misplaced distraction from the real issue here. One can only imagine that the wrongs of today could have been prevented had we payed attention to the past. I, for one, never plan on forgetting and I will not rest until Fox News brings the proper attention to the real issue at hand.

*AEA refused to comment on the validity of this statement