‘Zero Hour’ is a one-man tour de force

 David Begelman

Theater Critic

Jim Brochu’s life must have been changed forever when his father took him to see Zero Mostel in “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.”

It was an inspirational moment for the young Brochu. Forty years later he went on to author a monologue about the legendary star of such memorable hits as “The Producer,” “Fiddler On the Roof,” “The Rhinoceros,” and “Ulysses in Nighttown”—and  in lesser roles, like the sidekick of Jack Palance in Kazan’s 1950 film noir, “Panic in the Streets,” and 24 other films.

“Zero Hour” won a 2010 Drama desk Award, although Brochu is no stranger to traipsing the boards, having appeared on T.V. in episodes of “All My Children,” “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman,” and “Cheers.”  

Barrington Stage has the good fortune to be currently producing Brochu’s stunning show. It is a monologue that takes the form of an interview by a New York Times reporter who remains unseen throughout the delivery of the actor’s 90-minute performance.

That is not all. Brochu bears an uncanny resemblance to Zero, right down to the occasionally bellowed vocalization, keen sense of ethnic humor, melodramatic gesturing, and strands of hair plastered artfully on his forehead and converging just above the eyebrows.

There is more to Brochu’s spellbinding characterization than meets the eye. Any monologue that not merely holds, but rivets, audience attention for 1 ½ hours has to have another source of inspiration. In “Zero Hour,” it is the performer’s superb gift for the comedy gag line, the riposte, and the well-timed quip that springs from a wellspring of natural talent, not from the celebrity whom he is portraying.

Brochu’s in-your-face audacious humor is his very own, however a facsimile of Zero’s. And it’s not that far-fetched to assume that he would make a worthy addition to any team of gag writers delivering hilarity for a comedy series—in the manner of a Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart, or Mel Brooks.

The show has Zero alternating between puns at the expense of the Times reporter, like: “I see you have a humor bypass,” or “You look like a gentile Jackie Mason,” to more poignant life moments, like the suicide of his friend Philip Loeb because of blacklisting, or his second marriage to a Catholic girl, Kathryn. Reassuring her mother over Kathy’s match with a Jewish actor, he insisted that his uncle was Pope Leo XIII.

Zero survived his own blacklisting days, including a prison term. As a result, he harbored less than a charitable disposition toward informers, one of whom was the choreographer, Jerome Robbins.

But it was Robbins who saved Zero’s performance in “Fiddler” when then actor could not bring himself to perform the role of a father who rejected a daughter who wished to marry a gentile. The scenario reminded him too much of his own mother’s rejection of the son he had with Kathy. Talk about the wheel coming full circle.

“Zero Hour” runs through June 5 at Barrington Stage Company’s Stage 2, 36 Linden Street, Pittsfield, MASS. Performances are Tuesday to Friday at 7:30 p.m.,  Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15-$39 Adults, $25 seniors all matinees, Under 18 and students $15 except Saturday evening and may be purchased by calling the box office at 413-236-8888, or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.