This is a rare for me re-review. But, humor me. This time, the story and the script were familiar, but the production was just as fresh and vital as it had been the first time. This did not feel like a re-run; Mostel was such a complex and dynamic person that there was still much to learn that I had missed the first time, or that I saw with new eyes after the passage of time — and world events.
Jason Marks dives so deeply into the character that it is easy to forget he is an actor — we are spending an evening with Zero Mostel. Somewhere along the way, during the presidency of Harry S. Truman, the USA became embroiled in blacklisting activities. Many citizens were tried, and many actors were blacklisted or prevented from working in film, television, or on stage. Mostel or maybe I should say the playwright, Jim Brochu mentions a few well-known names who were caught up in this wide-ranging net, including the renowned choreographer Jerome Robbins and the comedian and actress Lucille Ball, TV star Phil Silvers, screen writer Ring Lardner, Jr.
There are many memorable moments in Zero Hour , both dramatic and historic. Marks shares all of this and more with a wild and vivid mixture of humor, sarcasm, and melodrama while his character is being interviewed by an invisible rookie reporter. Mostel warms up to his interview as we warm up to him. In addition to being a prolific and popular performer, Mostel was also a visual artist whose abstract paintings have been sold at auction and displayed in galleries and museums.
My notes from the show list 5, paintings, 15 Broadway shows, and 25 movies. Zero Hour is an engaging tour de force that is equally entertaining and educational. And now, I feel, is the time to go back and read what I said about Zero Hour the first time I saw it:. For those unfamiliar with Zero Mostel, it is informative, and for those who were already fans, it might reveal a few unknown nuggets. I suggest you go see it. Julinda D. When not writing about theater, she teaches dance history at VCU and low impact dance fitness classes to seasoned movers like herself, and occasionally performs.
The four choreographers selected for The New Works Festival are each given 25 hours to work with their cast. The result is a minute original work, either a full ballet, an excerpt of a longer ballet, or a work-in-progress. The New Works Festival was started in as a way for choreographers — both new and established — to introduce their creative ideas to the Richmond Ballet dancers and audiences.
