Meryl Streep sings as Donald Trump at New York gala
June 8, 2016
You'd be hard pressed to tell them apart. Three-time Oscar-winner Meryl Streep - known for her chameleon-like acting abilities - took on an unexpected role Monday at a gala benefit event for the Public Theater in New York: presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
As the closing act for the gala, Streep as Trump took the stage with actress Christine Baranski, who had donned a pant-suit to impersonate presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. The pair performed the song "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" from the musical "Kiss Me, Kate" by Cole Porter.
Even while singing, Streep - who has been a vocal supporter of Clinton, even going so far as to say she has things "in common" with the candidate - inflected her speech to minic Trump's.
A New York Times reporter caught the scene on video:
While Streep's performance was apparently a bit of a surprise to the event's organizers, the New York Times reported that it was entirely the actress' idea, citing the Public's Theater's artistic director Oskar Eustic.
The crowd at the gala went wild over Streep's performance - and so did the internet.
Meryl Streep has won Oscars for her roles in "The Iron Lady," "Sophie's Choice," and "Kramer vs. Kramer." She headed the jury at the 2016 Berlin International Film Festival.
She is not the first top-notch Hollywood star to take on Trump: In February, Johnny Depp slipped into the role in a 50-minute parody film for the comedy website Funny or Die.
A tribute to Shakespeare, the Public Theater gala took place on the eve of the latest Super Tuesday, with election primaries held in California, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota and South Dakota.
While Donald Trump entered Super Tuesday as presumptive Republican candidate, Hillary Clinton won enough delegates to secure the Democratic nomination. The official nomination will take place at the Democratic Convention next month.
kbm/ (with dpa)