Theater News

Is Munich a "Tony" Winner?

Notes on Steven Spielberg’s new film, Munich, co-written by Tony Kushner. Plus: The Park Avenue Whirl and Seth Rudetsky at Ars Nova.

Mathieu Kassovitz and Eric Bana in Munich(Universal/Dreamworks)
Mathieu Kassovitz and Eric Bana in Munich
(Universal/Dreamworks)

Munich, Steven Spielberg’s new film about the murder of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympics, is so different in tone and substance from his previous work that one finally has to ask who is the real auteur of this film. While some critics and cinephiles may buzz about Spielberg’s deepening world view, many theater lovers are aware that the screenplay was co-written by Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Tony Kushner, who previously tackled Middle Eastern politics in Homebody/Kabul. Kushner and co-author Eric Roth have written the rare film that deals with the idea of moral ambiguity.

In a way, Munich is an intellectual version of Death Wish, the famed Charles Bronson film about vengenace. Spielberg, Kushner, and Roth use the murder of those Israeli athletes by Arab terrorists as the jumping off point for their movie, which concentrates on the attempt by Israel to achieve retribution for the killings. Most of the Munich deals with a small team of Israeli agents working undercover in Europe to exact revenge on a series of Arab terrorists. We see these men harden as they become more and more like the people they are after. The difference is that they begin to question their mission — and that’s a dangerous thing for an assassin to do.

The film’s strength is in Spielberg’s unerring ability to make the camera a participant in the action; the storytelling is vivid in an almost docudrama-like way. But be warned, this is a very violent movie. After the first 20 minutes of Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, we might have thought the director could never again film anything quite as violent; but the death and mayhem in Munich is much uglier and far more disturbing in its intensity.

Tony Kushner(Photo © Michael Portantiere)
Tony Kushner
(Photo © Michael Portantiere)

Unlike the stylishly elliptical political thriller Syriana, Munich tells its story in a straightforward linear style. After the Munich massacre, Eric Bana, who plays the leader of the Israeli assassination team, meets with several Israeli generals and then with Prime Minister Golda Meir. (Theatergoers will be delighted to see frequent stage actress Lynn Cohen play Meir to perfection in a performance that captures the woman as both earth mother and decisive leader.) After that, the film becomes somewhat repetitive as one Arab terrorist after another is assassinated with ever greater difficulty. Finally, the hunters become the hunted and the movie takes another turn.

Some viewers will appreciate Munich for its willingness to expose the madness of the unending bloodshed between Arabs and Jews. They will shudder at the film’s final image (notice the skyline behind the characters during their last bit of dialogue). Many, however, will find the movie disturbing but unsatisfying because it peters out with no real coda. Somewhere in their subconscious, they may even wonder: Where is Charles Bronson when you really need him?

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Vince Giordano
Vince Giordano

What in the Whirl Is Going On?

Something called The Park Avenue Whirl sounds like it should be full of pep, doesn’t it? No such luck. Although this show, which runs through December 31 at 59E59, features many great American standards from the 1920s and 1930s, most of them are performed at a discouraging level of mediocrity. This doesn’t apply to Vince Giordano & the Nighthawk Orchestra, whose sense of period and outstanding musicianship turn the instrumental moments of the show into its highlights; but it’s downhill after that.

Veteran Marion Cowings brings grace and style to his vocal performances, yet he often comes off as bland. So does his son, tap dancer Alexander Cowings. There’s no question that this young fellow can tap up a storm in the style of Savion Glover, but he is all technique and no character.

The lion’s share of the vocals and patter falls to hosts Vince Giordano and jazz pianist Daryl Sherman. Giordano has a warm presence but his singing is better suited to a nightclub than a theater, and his patter with Sherman is deadly. As for Sherman’s singing, it’s tentative. In short, this show is a great idea that barely spins, let alone whirls.

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Seth Rudetsky(Photo © Joseph Marzullo)
Seth Rudetsky
(Photo © Joseph Marzullo)

Bring Back Rudetsky!

A latter-day Oscar Levant, Seth Rudetsky is both a Broadway pianist/conductor and a very funny comedian. When he combines his love and knowledge of music with his comic skills, he really shines. In fact, he glowed during his most recent performance of Seth Rudetsky Deconstructing: The Good, the Bad, and the Headachy at Ars Nova.

Rudetsky is brilliant and funny in pinpointing the best and the worst of belting, riffing, and harmonizing. His show is a genuine education. He physically acts the music so that you can see what you might not actually hear; for example, he can show you a vibrato with his hands. And the video clips that he shows are priceless. (Barbara hasn’t laughed as loud or as freely at a one-person show in a very long time.)

While this was his final show at Ars Nova, we hope and believe that Rudetsky will soon re-emerge, so you all can share the laughter — and we can go to see him again.

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[To contact the Siegels directly, e-mail them at siegels@theatermania.com.]