ZERO HOUR review round-up

[steveshack]

Posted: 11/30/09 at 6:33pm

The New York Times was marvelous:

"Singularly captivating. Zero Hour is a success. Brochu is the spitting image of the bearish Mostel, down to the strands of hair barely covering his head. His wildly expressive gestures are particularly spot on. It brings Mostel back to life, just the way his fans want him."

https://theater.nytimes.com/2009/11/30/theater/reviews/30zero.html?ref=theater

The Associated Press was wonderful:

"Very funny. Brochu's living restoration has brought Mostel's larger-than-life

personality back into the spotlight for a laugh-filled, much-welcomed presentation."

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20091124/us-theater-review-zero-hour/

The New Yorker was a Rave:

"It all flows and provides plenty of big laughs as well as hushed drama. After a while, you stop caring whether a particular line is Brochu's or Mostel's; all you know is that you've been privy to the work of a great comedian."

https://www.newyorker.com/arts/events/theatre/2009/12/07/091207goth_GOAT_theatre?currentPage=2

Variety was terrific:

"Frequently funny and always engaging, Brochu evokes the kind of prickle

on the back of the neck usually delivered by David Lynch movies."

https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941652.html?categoryid=33&cs=1

Theatermania was amazing:

"Brochu's performance is tantamount to a reincarnation. From head to toe, he's got it right. Often belly-laugh funny, there's a show-business saying that it takes a star to play a star. By that reckoning, mark down Jim Brochu as a truly big star."

https://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/reviews/11-2009/zero-hour_22988.html

NY Theatre Scene was sensational:

"Brochu not only takes on Mostel's story, but he literally climbs into his skin with tufts of white hair, fierce eyes, and Mostel's huge bulk. But it is the portrayal, not just the surface attributes, which is so convincing."

https://nytheaterscene.com/RevEZeroHour.html

Backstage gave it a Critics Pick:

"Never less than engrossing, Brochu not only creates an astonishing physical resemblance, capturing Mostel's distinctive body language and vocal patterns; he goes deep under the skin to reveal the man's complicated psyche and conflicted soul."

https://www.backstage.com/bso/reviews-ny-theatre-off-broadway/zero-hour-1004045006.story

The Wolf Entertainment Guide was over the top:

"Electrifying! The amazing performance hold's one's attention and engenders appreciation both for what Brochu has accomplished and for the special character and talented performer that Mostel was."

https://www.wolfentertainmentguide.com/ViewPage.aspx?cat=theater

The Examiner was off the charts:

"Zero Hour is not to be missed. This production is a triumph of writing and performance and I can't decide which is more brilliant. If you are a fan of the theater, of great performance, masterful writing and top notch direction, Zero Hour is a must see for this theater season."

https://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-16475-Manhattan-Theater-Examiner~y2009m11d24-Zero-Hour-is-not-to-be-missed

A Rave from BroadwayWorld:

"The scenario allows us to see Mostel as the public remembers him; an outrageously larger than life figure who is continually performing and will do anything for a laugh. It is brilliant, defiant and highly entertaining."

https://losangeles.broadwayworld.com/blogs/viewblog.cfm?blogid=2601

Soundoff.Com Reviews gave us FOUR STARS:

If heavy burdens are all Mostel had in his closet, Brochu certainly wears them well. His shortness of breath, the flashes of anger in the eyes, the need to grab his despair by the shoulders and shake until he comes to his senses, all these come to life in Brochu's veins. Through writing that is colorful, witty, well-paced, and organic, and acting that is masterfully precise - in Brochu's capable hands, Mostel is a work of art.

https://web.me.com/writa1/tvsoundoff/Broadway/Entries/2009/11/27_Give_this_Zero_a_Four_%28star_review%29.html

The Curtain Up review:

"Zero Hour is an informed, absorbing, highly entertaining one-person play written by and also starring Jim Brochu who stops just short of bringing Mostel back to life."

https://www.curtainup.com/zerohour.html

Upstage-Downstage Theatre Reviews Says:

"Let me be unambiguous: Zero Hour is the best one-person play since I Am My Own Wife. It is as rich and compelling a story as you will see on or off Broadway right now."

https://upstage-downstage.blogspot.com/2009/11/danny-kaye-zero-mostel-together-again.html

The Third New York Guide wrote:

"Zero Hour is one of those absolutely striking one-man shows, this time about Zero Mostel. Brochu is amazing, nothing short of sensational as Mostel. He captures Mostel's spirit, his explosive, larger than life anger, and his incredible, side-splitting sense of humor."

https://thethirdnewyork.blogspot.com/2009/11/zero-hour.html

The Opening Night Party was Covered at Broadway Gossip:

https://www.timessquaregossip.com/2009/11/broadways-zero-hour-bash-at-sardis.html

And on Playbill:

https://www.playbill.com/news/article/134823-PHOTO-CALL-Zero-Hour-Celebrates-Opening-Night

The Pre-Opening Article by Peter Filichia was very touching:

https://www.theatermania.com/peterfilichia/index.cfm?mode=viewEntry&id=0DA0952A-2219-54E7-B90076FF0805B34D
Zero Hour, a play about Zero Mostel

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 11/30/09 at 10:49pm

Who cares what the critics say? I want to know what REAL people who saw the show actually think. (j/k)

For instance, me. I saw it on Saturday and I'm STILL recovering. It is an unforgettable evening of theatre. DO NOT MISS IT...ANYONE!

[steveshack]

Posted: 11/30/09 at 11:51pm

Miss Pennywise, I'm really glad you enjoyed it. I should probably let the readers here know that we've brought Zero Hour in on a limited run because St. Clement's has another show coming in right after us. So, unless there's a real change of some kind, there will be no extension. Also, it's a small theater, and already, even before the reviews, we've been playing to almost full houses. The interest in Zero himself is high.

And, now, with these reviews, the phones really are ringing off the hook.

Point being, if anyone wants to see it, they should book tickets soon. After Jan. 31, that's it. The producers are thrilled with the reviews and the audience reaction, but pulling together enough investors, plus finding a suitable new space, is going to be a big task in such a short time. It might happen, and they want it to happen, but there are no guarantees.

We're thrilled with the reaction we've gotten in New York, especially all of Zero's old friends showing up and thanking Jim for bringing Mostel back in a real way. Every review has praised his performance.

I just wanted the core theater fans who try to see everything, that they can't, necessarily, wait and still get in easily. And that's not a marketing gimmick. I promise. We'll try to keep it up on TDF as long as we can.

Steve Schalchlin
(associated with the show)
Zero Hour, a play about Zero Mostel

[CapnHook]

Posted: 12/1/09 at 12:02am

If I were in NYC, this would tie with RAGTIME at the top of my list of shows to see.

[miss pennywise]

Posted: 12/1/09 at 1:17am

CapnHook, Funny you should say that. I saw RAGTIME on Friday and sobbed through the whole show. Then I saw ZERO HOUR on Saturday...and cried through most of it!

Yes, it is funny, but it is more serious than one might think going into it. It's about bigotry and fear and love and art. Of course, the juxtaposition of the comedy and drama make both emotional extremes even more pointed.

I loved THE BIG VOICE and I loved Mostel. I wanted to support Jim and see Zero Mostel "incarnate" since I did not have the opportunity ever to see him on stage in person. But what I got was so much more.

The play itself is riveting and disturbing. (Yes, and often hilarious.) I have seen films, heard stories and read many, many accounts of the McCarthy Era, but never have I felt the pain of those targeted and victimized. Jim's performance evokes the sense of guilt we feel for the "sins of the father" as well as the possibility of redemption through creativity, perseverance, friendship...and the sheer will to live.

Anyone who sees the play will feel outrage, guilt and compassion...and will leave the theatre with the utmost respect for Zero Mostel, Jim Brochu and Piper Laurie. (And Steve, I know you have a lot to do with the play's success, too! Thank you.)

[hockeynut2]

Posted: 12/1/09 at 2:24am

Here is part one of two interviews I recorded with Jim Brochu and Piper Laurie when the show was performed at Theater J this year in DC. Enjoy!

Joel Markowitz had his own Zero Hour when he sat down with actor Jim Brochu and director Piper Laurie at Theater J. They schmoozed about creating and fine-tuning the Theater J production, the Off-Broadway run which opens November 14th at the Theatre of St. Clement’s Church, their careers in film and theatre, and the DC audiences who are applauding Jim’s performance.

Piper was smitten the first time she saw Zero Mostel, and, for Jim, who, at 14, literally ran into the man backstage at A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, it marked the beginning of a long friendship. Who better, then, to create Zero Hour? “He was such a force of nature, and such a good actor, and so committed to what he was doing. He could make you laugh one minute, and cry the next minute.”

Listen in while Jim and Piper talk about all things Zero in Part One of this revealing chat with Jim Brochu and Piper Laurie.

JIM BROCHU AND PIPER LAURIE ON ZERO HOUR ON DC THEATRE SCENE

[hockeynut2]

Posted: 12/1/09 at 2:30am

Here's Part Two: When Jim Brochu was in DC with his solo show about the great Zero Mostel, he and his director Piper Laurie talked with me about creating Zero Hour.

There was more to the conversation which we’ve saved til now to celebrate Zero Hour’s opening Off-Broadway. So relax, and listen as Jim Brochu, surely one of the greatest storytellers ever, shares backstage stories about his encounters with Barbra Streisand, Katherine Hepburn, and the afternoons spent playing backgammon with Lucille Ball in the last year of her life which he later turned into a book “Lucy in the Afternoon”.

I had two stories he was dying to hear from Piper Laurie – how she began her flower diet, and her starring role in the movie “Carrie”, both of which she tells with great relish.

The interviews end on a high comic note as these two friends recall their worst moments on stage, and Piper shares her secret name.

[steveshack]

Posted: 12/2/09 at 10:51am

This morning:

TIME OUT NY FOUR STARS
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles/theater/81091/zero-hour-theater-review

By all accounts, however, Mostel blazed most brightly in live performance. So we owe Jim Brochu a debt of gratitude for Zero Hour, an extraordinary act of reincarnation that restores the outsize actor to us in all of his daunting dimensions.

You can’t help being swept up in the tornado of energy as Brochu’s star turn conjures forth a Zero larger than life and death.

NY POST THREE STARS.
http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/theater/zero_ing_in_on_legend_of_stage_screen_TMfZDZBtCZnBUakccf07cP

The rumors of Zero Mostel's death have apparently been greatly exaggerated.

At least, that's what you'll conclude after seeing "Zero Hour," the new one-person show about the bigger-than-life legend, who left us in 1977.

Jim Brochu recalls his subject so uncannily in looks, voice and anarchic spirit that one immediately wants to see him in revivals of "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum" and "Fiddler on the Roof."
My home page

[FrontRowCenter2]

Posted: 1/2/10 at 7:01pm

Didn't want to start a new thread but felt it worth commenting on this.

Saw it today and have to admit, I was surprised as to how wonderful of a show it is and how quickly it went. I did laugh (a lot), I learned things about Zero's life I didn't know before, and admittedly there were moments when I was moved to tears - Jim Brochu gives one helluva performance!