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Arts & Entertainment

Amy Poehler And Seth Meyers To Shakespeare In The Park Protesters: Really?!?


By

Jen Carlson

Published Jun 22, 2017

Modified Jun 22, 2017


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By

Jen Carlson

Published Jun 22, 2017

Modified Jun 22, 2017


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Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers reunited on Wednesday night to bring back their old beloved SNL Weekend Update segment "Really?!?" The treatment was tagged to the recent Shakespeare in the Park drama, and specifically the nights when the controversial production of Julius Caesar was protested and interrupted by alt-right protesters.

Poehler declares at the top of the segment, "Protesters, this is New York City. All you did by running on stage was give them an anecdote to tell at their fancy liberal cocktail parties! 'You know, I was at the Caesar that was interrupted.'"

Meyers—who said he didn't think the production was offensive, "but it was a little hacky"—discussed free speech, and noted that, "A conservative pundit tweeted that he was going to hold a production of the Salem Witch Trials where Hillary was burned at the stake. Cool cool... except there is no play called the Salem Witch Trials. You're thinking of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a play he wrote as an allegory about McCarthyism. There, now you have three things to Google.” Poehler then added, "Guess what, bro? You can’t burn Hillary at the stake. She’s already been burned twice. 2008 and 2016. My bitch is Teflon now!"

Check out the full Really?!? segment below:

Yesterday it was reported that the Public Theater's director Oskar Eustis, as well as other Shakespeare companies across the country, have been receiving death threats over the production, which features a Trump-like Julius Caesar—long, red tie; yellowy hair; a propensity to Tweet; a Slavic wife—who is assassinated as the play was written.

Tagged

amy poehler

julius caesar

really?!?

seth meyers

shakespeare in the park


Jen Carlson

Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


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