This past weekend, with prophecies of Armageddon in the air, Saturday was a day of jokes vs. judgement, and the jokes won. Although declared a false prophet, Harold Camping’s well publicized prediction that the rapture would take place was correct, sort of – he just had the location all wrong – it was going on at Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield. Those earthquakes turned out to be nothing more than waves of laughter, and the only thing that got cracked up was the audience. It shook the walls of Barrington’s Stage 2 theatre on Linden Street, where Jim Brochu was performing Zero Hour. In it he portrays the life of actor Zero Mostel. It is no ordinary tale, so shortly after the play began, one by one, each person in attendance was lifted up by a cloud of laughter as they watched Brochu. Mostel’s impersonator is a master actor and showman.
Zero Mostel was as unforgettable in person as he was on stage. He was way bigger than life. Anyone who watches the film The Producers can never forget the loudmouthed con artist, and those who saw Mostel on Broadway in Ionesco’s Rhinoceros or Sondheim’s A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum can easily conjure up the funny man at the center of each show, the one who would ad lib when he got bored. The son of Russian Jews who was raised in Brooklyn, he quickly found you can’t be a shrinking violet in a city of millions, thus his personality was over the top, his mouth unstoppable.
And you know, you almost never see people with strong personalities like Mostel here in the Berkshires. Even in New York City he stood out in a crowd. The huge hulk of a man, with flashing eyes and rapier wit was more than a handful. He could be impossible. Impossibly charming. Unbelievably infuriating. You’d think twice before inviting him to a wedding reception.
The show is a bit of a miracle, both literally and figuratively. Jim Brochu leaves his own mortal body and personality to enter that of Zero Mostel. Mostel had the abilities of a Borscht Belt comedian, constantly coming up with unexpected zingers without a moments hesitation. As is usual for Barrington’s Stage 2, there was a full house present, this year with reserved seating. A freshened up lobby greeted the audience, as did a new Mission bar with appetizers which was a clear winner and bubbled with activity until the lights flashed, signaling the start of the play.
Pre-show chitchat out of the way, it took only a couple of minutes for the audience to become totally involved in the happenings on stage. Brochu sets his play in Mostel’s studio, to underscore the point that “Zee” was a painter who became an actor almost by accident. As the tale unwound, there were moments when you could hear a pin drop, especially when he related his experience of having been blacklisted, or how his leg was crushed to a pulp by a wayward bus.
Jim Brochu as Zero Mostel in "Zero Hour" at Barrington Stage 2 to June 5. Stan Barouh Photos.
The more serious moments, many of which recalled family events, took place downstage right with dimmed lights. The hellish moments of the Army-McCarthy hearings were downstage left with intense lights reflecting the almost unbearable pressure he was under. For one man on stage – and a larger life one at that – he kept the play moving by keeping himself in motion, though when responding to the reporter who was visiting him, he also managed to continue painting even as he harangued the reporter.
“Come in. Quick! You’re letting the flies out. So what’s this interview for, putz? I call you a putz because I don’t know your name. No, I don’t want to know your name. This is an interview, it’s not a relationship.”
As Mostel, Brochu transforms himself with some clever hair combing, darkened eyes, and a New York City Jewish characterization that would pass muster on 47th Street. When he raises his arms in the classic Fiddler on the Roof pose, the audience could be heard murmuring its approval. When his fist slams down on his desk to make a point, they flinched. When he relates the death of his mother, we all sat in shocked silence. Yet even with large doses of serious events in Mostel’s life, the play balances the tragic with the comic.
It is not at all surprising for Barrington Stage Company to find a totally original work to kick off their new season. What has become more and more their stock in trade is the ability to blend serious social commentary and slices of authentic life into escapist theatre, giving audiences some food for thought along with the whipped cream of humor. Doing this in the intimate confines of Stage 2 is the cherry on top, since no matter the seat, you are experiencing it up close and personal.
Judgement Day may have come and gone for the Apocalypsians, but for theatre-goers this heavenly show will continue on until June 5. The ninety minute play is the fastest hour and a half I have spent in the theatre in a long, long time. On a scale of one to ten, Zero Hour gets a ten.
Barrington Stage Company presents Zero Hour, Written and Performed by Jim Brochu. Lighting Designer – Zach Blane, Director of Production, Jeff Roudabush, Production Stage Manager – Michael Andrew Rodgers, Associate Producer – Natasha SInha, Press Representative – Charlie Siedenburg. At Stage 2, Linden Street, Pittsfield, MA. May 18-June 10, 2011 (Extended run). Ninety minutes without intermission. 413-236-8888 barringtonstageco.org
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