Stage Door News
Stage Door News
Toronto, ON, February 28, 2012 - The multi-award-winning ZERO HOUR is in its final two weeks and Toronto audiences are invited to celebrate the February 28 birthday of American theatre hero Zero Mostel with a 2-for-1 ticket offer through to the end of the run. Written by and starring the amazingly talented N.Y. Drama Desk winner Jim Brochu, ZERO HOUR runs to March 11 at the Bathurst St. Theatre.
To take advantage of the 2 for 1 offer in celebration of Mostel's birthday, contact Ticketmaster.ca or call 1-855-985-ARTS (2787) and use the code Zero1.
Jim Brochu re-creates the definitive backstory to this amazing performer who starred in Broadway hits such as Fiddler on the Roof, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and Mel Brooks' film The Producers, and many more. Brochu is both hilarious and poignant as he recounts Mostel's big life - as a larger than life personality and the target of Hollywood blacklisting.
Zero Hour was the most honoured show of 2010, winning the New York Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance, the Los Angeles Ovation for Best Play and the Washington, D.C. Helen Hayes Award for Best Actor.
Adding to the raves the major Toronto critics gave it when it was here last year, these online reviewers share in their praise:
"Finally caught up with Jim Brochu's much acclaimed performance in Zero Hour, and although I didn't see how his one-man show could live up to its advance publicity, it easily surpassed it. In addition to being an extraordinary and gifted actor, Brochu is also a brilliant writer and storyteller who is never less than engaging...you don't have to be a rabid fan of Zero Mostel to be captivated by his reconstituted presence on stage."
- George Anthony, anthonygeorge.wordpress.com
"Brochu's script includes delightful moments of nostalgia and true passion for the art of the theatre as he carefully weaves anecdotes throughout, giving the play a sense of how art and life commingle relentlessly over the course of a single career."
- David Bateman, batemanreviews.blogspot.com
"While Brochu is stupendous in the role, he never lets us forget the uniqueness of the real Zero Mostel. Beyond the rich one liners, the comedy, the heartbreak, the friends, the enemies, the despair and the joys, Mostel was a man always true to himself."
- Jeniva Berger, scenechanges.com
"It is the kind of show that is entertaining in the best sense of the word, for it comes straight from the heart and mind of Jim Brochu, who turns his love for Mostel into an unforgettable theatre performance - one of the great solo performances of our time."
- Keith Garebian, stageandpage.com
" Jim Brochu gives a phenomenal performance as Zero Mostel. Not only does he have the bulk, the huge voice and wild-eyed look of the great comic actor, but Brochu has his habitual gestures and style of delivery down to perfection. Near the end I found I'd forgotten it wasn't the real Zero Mostel on stage. It's a performance no one should miss."
- Christopher Hoile, stage-door.com
Brochu has said, "Zero had a great influence on my life and I was fortunate to get to know him when I was first starting out. He considered himself primarily an artist who took acting jobs to support his painting. I can think of no other person in show business who had more obstacles to overcome than him. He grew up poor. He survived the blacklist. A bus accident almost took his leg off. But he fought and survived, and then went on to win three Tony Awards."
The multi-Oscar-nominated actress Piper Laurie directs Zero Hour. When it played off-Broadway and Los Angeles, Variety said Brochu "evokes the kind of prickle on the back of the neck usually delivered by David Lynch movies," the LA Times noted that "Brochu reintroduces us to the funny, fantastically contrary Mostel in all his biting intelligence and imperfection" and The New Yorker raved, "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."
Final 2 Weeks of Acclaimed ZERO HOUR!
Special 2 for 1 Offer in Honour of Zero Mostel's Feb. 28 Birthday!
Written by and starring Jim Brochu, directed by Piper Laurie
MUST CLOSE March 11, 2012 at the Bathurst St. Theatre, 736 Bathurst St. (south of Bloor)
Performance times: Wed at 7pm; Thurs and Fri at 8pm; Sat at 2pm and 8pm; Sun at 3pm.
Ticket prices - (includes HST): Wed & Thurs - $59; Fri, Sat & Sun - $59 & $69.50.
(Discounts for seniors, equity & groups. Student Rush available one-hour prior to curtain.)
For 'Zero Birthday Special 2 for 1' on regular tickets, use the code Zero1 and visit online at Ticketmaster.ca or www.ZeroHourShow.com or call 1-855-985-ARTS (2787).
2012-02-28
Toronto: “Zero Hour” celebrates Zero Mostel’s birthday with 2 for 1 tickets for its final two weeks