Actor Zero Mostel was larger than life. And he was a man of contradictions.
The Broadway star died in 1977, but he comes to life again onstage at the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in the award-winning Zero Hour, written by and starring Jim Brochu. The Theatre will present the show as a special limited engagement Oct. 14-17 and 21-24, with a discount available to season subscribers.
"We are proud to show South Florida why Jim Brochu's portrayal of this legendary star has earned so many rave reviews," said Andrew Kato, artistic director for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre.,"
In Zero Hour, Brochu portrays Mostel giving a no-holds-barred interview shortly before his death. In it, he talks about his detractors and his rivals, and ruminates on his meteoric career.
Fortunately for Mostel, his sense of humor saved him. And Brochu's lifelong admiration for Mostel deepened with research into the adversity Mostel faced beyond the McCarthy-era blacklist, including a harsh reaction from his Jewish parents over his marriage to a Catholic woman and a devastating leg injury he sustained in 1960 when he was struck by a New York City bus.
Mostel achieved Broadway superstardom in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Fiddler on the Roof, and went on to win fame on the big screen in Mel Brooks' 1968 The Producers.
"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," wrote Michael Dale in Broadway World. "It is brilliant, defiant and highly entertaining."
Like Mostel, Brooklyn-born Brochu is no stranger to fame. By the age of 13, he was working on Broadway - not as an actor, but as the seller of orange drinks at the back of the St. James Theatre during intermissions for Hello, Dolly!
After studying drama at Carnegie-Mellon University, he returned to New York, where he earned a degree in English and made his Broadway stage debut in The Taming of the Shrew.
While working as a stage actor, he appeared in two legendary television commercials - first as a dancing raisin for Post Raisin Bran and then as the "Lemon from Outer Space" with Madge the Manicurist for Palmolive. His television work includes regular stints as Father James on All My Children, Judge Julius Weyburn on The Young and The Restless, Officer Jerry Chandler on the cult-classic Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and the befuddled bailiff on NBC's Sirota's Court with Michael Constantine. He made his motion picture debut with a small role in The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight opposite another newcomer, Robert De Niro.
In May, Brochu received the New York Drama Desk Award for Best Solo Performance. He also has received Helen Hayes, Carbonell and L.A. Ovations awards for Zero Hour. He also has received nominations for the Lucille Lortel and the Outer Critics Circle awards (both for Best Solo Performance of 2010).
Brochu is an active member of the Dramatists Guild, the Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity Association and remains, as The New York Times called him, a true "Man of the Theatre." His caricature hangs on the wall of the legendary Sardi's Restaurant in New York, a singular tribute to a 40-year show business career as an actor and playwright.
But for now, Brochu's mind is on Mostel, and Zero Hour has done more than simply allow Brochu to inhabit Mostel as a character: "Sometimes he really inhabits me."
Tickets to Zero Hour are $23 (subscribers), $29 (non-subscribers). To order, call (561) 575-2223 or (800) 445-1666. To purchase tickets online, log on to www.jupitertheatre.org.
The Maltz Jupiter Theatre is an award-winning professional not-for-profit regional theatre dedicated to the performing arts whose mission is to entertain, educate and inspire our community. The Theatre is a member of the prestigious League of Resident Theatres and is located east of U.S. Highway 1 at 1001 East Indiantown Road and State Road A1A in Jupiter.
