Meeting Zero Mostel
Meeting Zero Mostel
Meeting Zero Mostel#0
Posted: 2/13/05 at 4:50pm
Does anyone else have any personal stories to share about meeting this theater legend? I would love to hear them!
I had the great fortune of being friends with Lorenzo (Larry) Bianco. He played the lead Russian dancer for the entire original Broadway run of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF except when he left the show to do his part in the film. In the film they also used Larry's balilika (sp?) playing talents, kind of a Russian banjo you might say and if you see the film you see him playing that and he has the huge moustache and is the one with whom Tevye first very dramatically grasps hands. Ironically, though a brilliant talent, Larry actually got to "audition" for the part because his family had been close friends with the Mostel family.
When Zero Mostel did the Broadway revival of Fiddler in the 1970s, of course Larry recreated his part as well. Larry took me and my friend Adam backstage to meet Mr. Mostel after the show. Can you imagine????? I thought I was going to die! I had just seen the singular most amazing, dramatic, comic and musical performance I ever witnessed in the theater, to this very day. His performance slayed me and the audience and as I recall,the critics reviewing the revival noted his performance was even richer and deeper and more extraordinary than the first go-round.
Mr. Mostel emerged from his "private area" to the main dressing room in a bathrobe and with a cane...He Did not use the cane onstage, but apparently did at times offstage........He was so gracious to us!! He made a point of repeating our names often and made us feel welcome and blissful, even though he was clearly exhausted.
A couple of times he referred to me and my friend Adam as c*cks*ckers to which later Larry said to us when asked why, "I think he is very observant."
Larry and Mr. Mostel laughed at the fact that Larry almost fell during the performance that night.......and after we said our farewells and shook hands, Mr. Mostel started walking toward the "private area" in his dressing room followed by the man working as his dresser of course.........
and he sang very loudly for us and all around to hear(to the tune of Now I have Everything): "I used to Tell Myself I had a Twelve Inch Schlong, But That Was Only Half True."
Gosh how I loved that man, that shattering Tevye performance, that whole evening, that precious time meeting him.
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#1
Posted: 2/13/05 at 4:53pm
You are WAY too lucky...I wish I could have met him...WISH WISH WISH WISH WISH
He was so gracious to us!! He made a point of repeating our names often and made us feel welcome and blissful, even though he was clearly exhausted.
That's what andre de SHields did when I met him...I think it's great when they do that!
Again, so lucky...
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#2
Posted: 2/13/05 at 4:54pmBUT THAT WAS ONLY HALF TRUE ... hilarious! :)
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#3
Posted: 2/13/05 at 5:03pm
BSOBw2, I was amazingly lucky! By the way, I attended the very first New York preview of THE WIZ.
A friend of mine was rather close with Luther Vandross (before any of us had any idea who he was going to be) who had written "Everybody Rejoice" for THE WIZ--I have no idea why more than one composer was involved with the score of THE WIZ.
Luther was verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry friendly and huggy and stuff that night, especially when I told him that his song was my favorite part of the show (it really wasn't, sorry Luther). That first performance had tons of technical glitches. Ted Ross' microphone was dead for the Lion's first song and you could not hear a singular lyric.
I don't recall meeting Andre that night, but I was thrilled being backstage! I got to shake hands with Geoffrey Holder (he directed and did the costumes for THE WIZ) and heard him thanking the cast for the performance and asking them to get a good night's sleep.
My most distinct memory of that first performance was Stephanie Mills knocking our socks off when she sang HOME or is it titled WHEN I THINK OF HOME, I am not sure. She was electric that night. And Mabel King was of course, a hoot.
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#4
Posted: 2/13/05 at 5:05pm
cturtle,
to this day almost 30 years later, I still literally find it difficult not to laugh out loud when I recall him singing that, it was absolutely hysterical.
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#5
Posted: 2/14/05 at 5:20amHavent met Zero. But I have met TOPOL. It was a great experience. I touched his beard!
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#6
Posted: 2/14/05 at 12:34pm
I saw the revival of Fiddler with Topol and he and the production were great...........speaking of touching his beard................
we couldn't help but notice that Topol as Tevye's pants were so thin they were practically see thru........and this kind of gave new meaning to the lyrics "little bird," although he did not seem to personally possess a little bird, if you get my meaning. :)
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/4/04
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#7
Posted: 2/14/05 at 12:55pmMotel tailors all Tevye's clothes from genuine Russian chiffon.
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#8
Posted: 2/14/05 at 1:05pmwildcat, thanks for the info!!!!!! apparently the precious tailor may have had certain anatomical interests in his papa in law. :)
re: Meeting Zero Mostel#9
Posted: 2/14/05 at 1:08pm
well...even a tailor is entitled to some happiness!
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