Did the world just see Meryl Streep, dipped in orange, perform the role of her lifetime?
At least her impersonation of Donald Trump went viral on Twitter, making her the latest hit in a long row of celebrities and comedians making fun of the Republican presidential front runner.
Summer in New York means star-studded Shakespeare plays in Central Park. The Public Theatre has a long tradition of producing “Free Shakespeare In The Park” plays in outdoor Delacorte Theater, which are beloved events for theatre-loving New Yorkers and visitors alike.
Every season they also produce a gala with performances of scenes from Shakespeare’s greatest work, and the American poems, songs and stories they inspired.
This year’s gala on Monday, June 6th, had Meryl Streep impersonates a certain orange faced big-bellied Republican campaigner, which went viral on Twitter.
NEW PICS | From Shakespeare in the park in NYC Meryl Streep as Donald Trump ???? pic.twitter.com/r2YlBRiXIf
— Meryl Streep Page © (@MerylStreepPage) June 7, 2016
At the gala finale, the Academy Award goddess performed a duet of “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” from Kiss Me Kate together with Christine Baranski as Hilary Clinton.
The song is traditionally sung by male gangsters based on Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew” and advises men how to woo women by reciting lines from Shakespeare. Streep as Trump, or Donald Streep, sang,
“You’ll let me know, why all the women say no.”
Baranski answered,
“Brush up your Shakespeare and the women you will wow. Just declaim a few lines from Othello, and they’ll think you’re a hell of a fella.”
Meryl Streep just added Donald Trump to her resume at the Public Theater Gala pic.twitter.com/5ftmcKbRjN
— Jacob Bernstein (@BernsteinJacob) June 7, 2016
Streep has now added New York billionaire Donald Trump to her impressive Academy Award-winning repertoire. And Social Media is loving it! Given the Twitter response, this could very well be the role of her lifetime. Or at least for the fortunate few who got to see her performance, as Jack Moore tweeted,
“Sometimes the world is perfect.”
https://twitter.com/JackPMoore/status/740074838161686529
THIS WOMAN! Meryl Streep as Donald Trump is something you need in your TL pic.twitter.com/4KpY761zwm
— Ali Benzekri (@Alibenzkr) June 7, 2016
What remains to be seen is if Trump will take the advice to heart, and brush up on his Shakespeare.
Featured image: Screengrab via Page Six on Twitter.
