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.”
The show, written by Brochu and directed by Piper Laurie, an actress best known for “The Hustler” and “Carrie” (the movie), uses the tired conceit of having its subject interviewed by an unseen reporter.
Luckily, the irascible Mostel is an entertaining figure with whom to spend a couple of hours.
By most accounts, the actor was an outrageous and often surly individual, traits Brochu certainly doesn’t ignore in his mostly admiring portrait.
In fact, “Zero Hour” does an excellent job of resisting caricatures and conveying Mostel’s hidden depths. Especially strong are the sections detailing his blacklisting in the ’50s and his friendship with actor Philip Loeb (TV’s “The Goldbergs”), who committed suicide when his career was destroyed by the House Un-American Activities Committee.
It also details Mostel’s contempt for director Jerome Robbins, who named names before the committee but with whom he later managed to collaborate on his biggest stage successes — “Fiddler on the Roof” among them.
Thirty-two years after Mostel’s untimely death, it’s a pleasure to have him back on the boards.