Zero Hour Opens at Barrington Stage May 18
Jim Brochu Channels Zero Mostel
By: Barrington - Apr 15, 2011
Barrington Stage Company presents Zero Hour Jim Brochu’s acclaimed play about the life of theatre legend Zero Mostel. Zero Hour kicks off the season from May 18 through June 5, 2011 at BSC Stage 2, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, MA.
Zero Hour is sponsored by Joyce Bernstein & Larry Rosenthal. The Stage 2 Season Media Sponsor is Mid Day Live with Bill Sturgeon/WBRK 1340AM. Berkshire Living is the Season Opening Night Sponsor.
For his performance in Zero Hour, Jim Brochu received the 2010 Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance and a Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor in a Play. Zero Hour ran 14 months and played 238 performances Off-Broadway.
Set in Zero Mostel’s West 28th Street painting studio, a naive reporter attempts to interview the famously volatile actor, prompting an explosion of memory, humor, outrage and juicy backstage lore.
Zero Hour traces Mostel's early days growing up on the Lower East Side as the son of Orthodox Jewish immigrant parents, through his rise as a stand-up comedian - from the Borscht Belt to Manhattan's most exclusive supper clubs. Mostel is remembered for his comedic genius and his definitive roles, but in the 1950's he was equally known for his place on the infamous Hollywood blacklist.
Actor-writer Brochu previously stated, "Zero had a great influence on my life and I was fortunate to get to know him when I was first starting out. His life was filled with great laughter, great drama and great life lessons for all of us. He considered himself primarily an artist who took acting jobs to support his painting. I can think of no other person in show business who had more obstacles to overcome than Zero Mostel. He grew up poor. He survived the blacklist. A bus accident almost took his leg off. But he fought and survived, and then went on to win three Tony Awards."
With partner/composer Steve Schalchlin, Brochu penned the award-winning musicals The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman? In addition to his theatrical work, Brochu's acting credits also include appearances on "All My Children," "Mary Hartman," "Cheers," "Wings" and "Bram and Alice." www.jimbrochu.com.
Zero Mostel earned Tony Awards for his performances in Fiddler on the Roof, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Rhinoceros and was also nominated for Ulysses in Nighttown. His film credits include The Front, Mastermind, Journey Into Fear, Fore Play, Rhinoceros, Marco, Once Upon a Scoundrel, The Hot Rock The Great Bank Robbery, The Producers, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and DuBarry Was a Lady.
Zero Hour will be presented at BSC Stage 2, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, from May 18 through June 5 with performances Tues-Fri. at 7:30pm, Sat. at 4pm and 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. Additional performance on Fri., May 20 at 3pm. Opening Night: Sat., May 21 at 8pm. Please note there is no 4pm performance on Saturday, May 21. There will be a post-show discussion with Jim Brochu following the 7:30pm performance on Tuesday, May 24. Tickets: $15-$39. Seniors: $25 all matinees. Youth 18 and under or students with valid ID $15 all performances except Saturday evening.