Tribeca ‘Documusical’ shows Rudy Giuliani in a whole new light
Break a leg, Rudy.
Using archival footage, interviews and Broadway-style present tunes, Brooklyn-born director Jed Rothstein tries to seize the various sides of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in “Rudy! A Documusical.”
“Rudy’s life is like an opera; it’s got these grand highs and lows,” Rothstein, a Boerum Hill native, instructed The Post. “He’s a larger than life figure, and I wanted to tell his story in an unconventional way.”
Guiliani by no means responded to Rothstein’s request for an interview, however he hopes town’s 107th mayor attends the movie premiere Thursday on the Tribeca Film Festival, on the SVA Theatre on West twenty third Street.
“Rudy, we’ll have two tickets for you,” Rothstein stated.
Giuliani is praised for being a tough-on-crime lawyer who took on the Mafia as Manhattan’s prime federal prosecutor in the ‘80s and as regular chief after the Sept. 11 terrorist assaults.
He has additionally seen loads of controversy of late, with an appeals court docket final year suspending him from practising legislation in New York for violating skilled conduct guidelines by pushing election-fraud theories.
“His experience after 9/11 is unique in history in terms of the level of adulation and popularity he achieved for a good period of time after that,” stated Rothstein, who obtained an Oscar nomination in 2011 for his documentary quick, “Killing in the Name.”
“The only time I’ve seen him shaken is when his law license was suspended. That got to him in ways like nothing else ever had. It’s sad to see a man who’s achieved such greatness be rattled, but at the same time, it’s because of his own actions,” he added.
The titular legal professional will likely be portrayed by Broadway actor Blakely Slaybaugh, who just lately performed Pinocchio in “Shrek: The Musical.”
The hyper-stylized musical segments are supposed to be deep appears into Giuliani’s psyche and character.
“I hope it adds an understanding to his life that sometimes makes him more heroic and sometimes more reprehensible,” Rothstein stated.