Friend Center for the Arts at the JCCSF Presents ZERO HOUR 10/21-23

The Friend Center for the Arts at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF) proudly presents Zero Hour: The Zero Mostel Play, written and performed by Jim Brochu. The award-winning one-man tour de force opened in New York in November 2009 to rave reviews, and will be performed in Kanbar Hall at 8 pm on Friday and Saturday, October 21 and 22, with a 2 pm matinee on Sunday, October 23.

Zero Mostel, born Samuel Joel Mostel in 1915, was best known for his stage portrayal of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, and his larger than life roles on screen in such 1960 films as The Producers and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. His legendary energy and force of will also enabled him to survive the dark hours of blacklisting in the 1950s.

In Zero Hour, Jim Brochu portrays the irrepressible actor and comedian giving a fictional interview with a young unseen reporter from The New York Times shortly before his untimely death at age 62 in 1977. Brochu's Mostel covers a lot of territory in this two-hour show, beginning with his early youth, his two marriages, his career triumphs, and the enormous impact of the Hollywood blacklist on himself and his friends. The JCCSF is planning a panel discussion on the blacklisting following the Sunday matinee performance of the show.

Reviewers were unanimous in their praise. The New York Times reviewer called the play "singularly captivating," describing Brochu as "the spitting image of the bearing Mostel, down to the strands of hair barely covering his head. His wildly expressive gestures are particularly spot on." TIME OUT, New York gave it a Critics Pick and Four Stars, calling it "An extraordinary act of reincarnation that restores the outsize actor to us in all of his daunting dimensions."

The play is set in Zero Mostel's New York studio where the actor -- also a prolific artist -- spent time at his easel almost daily, producing a body of work ranging from delicate sketches of the female nude to strong Cubist abstractions.

The presentation of Zero Hour will coincide with an exhibition of Mostel's work in the Katz Snyder Gallery on the second floor of the JCCSF. Entitled THE ARTIST BACKSTAGE, the exhibit runs from September 15 - November 14. A special free event is scheduled on October 10 from 7 - 9 pm, which will be attended by Mostel's son, Josh. All pieces priced from $400 - $5,000 are available for purchase, with a portion of the sales to benefit the JCCSF. The exhibit is free to the public during regular JCCSF hours.

Tickets to Zero Hour priced from $42 - $52 may be purchased through the JCCSF Box Office at 415/292-1233 or online at www.jccsf.org/arts <http://www.jccsf.org/arts> . The JCCSF is located at 3200 California Street at Presidio in San Francisco.

The JCCSF has been serving the Bay Area since 1877 with programs that help individuals and the community to flourish. A home away from home for San Franciscans of all faiths and backgrounds, the JCCSF welcomes more than 4,500 guests each day, presenting them with world-class cultural events, a state-of-the-art fitness center and hundreds of inspiring educational, recreational and social programs. Programs are made possible through generous community support, enabling the JCCSF to provide free and low-cost programs as well as general financial assistance, making the Center accessible, welcoming and nurturing to all.

The Friend Center for the Arts at the JCCSF presents
ZERO HOUR
The Zero Mostel Play starring Jim Brochu
October 21 - 23
Friday and Saturday, October 21 & 22 at 8 pm
Sunday, October 23 at 2 pm
Kanbar Hall, JCCSF, 3200 California Street at Presidio, San Francisco
Tickets: $42 - $52
Box Office: 415/292-1233 or www.jccsf.org/arts <http://www.jccsf.org/arts>

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