Zero Hour in NY 5: Bock & Harnick Salute.

Jim Brochu sings "If I Were A Rich Man" at a special tribute to Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick. Mark Janas, musical director.

Zero Hour in NY 4: NY Times plus backstage.

The NY Times review arrives, plus a little backstage dressing room stuff with our stage manager team, Don and Jeramy.

OMA Awards.

We did not win the OUT Music Award last night, but it was fun to see several members of the SFGMC there. Like old family members.

Stephen Camarota, who sings Gabi's Song, which was nominated for OUT Musician of the Year, defined as music + activism. I don't mind the label, but I don't consider myself to be an activist of any kind. I have opinions about stuff, but I prefer to just be seen as a songwriter. Gabi's Song wasn't meant to do anything except tell a true story about a mom to took a tragedy and tried to do something about it.

This is a video of the smaller touring group of San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus with just piano, at the Santa Cruz First Congregational Church:






The show itself was terribly disorganized, so I left early, since it was getting late, and they insisted on using a dance DJ to keep the noise level high, even when it wasn't taping. Perhaps it's because I've gone to a lot of tapings in Hollywood, but it's never a good idea to provoke fake enthusiasm. The crowd would actually enjoy some down time to visit with friends between acts. Then, they have more energy that way when it's time to make noise for the cameras.

Still, there was some fantastic talent on that stage, in particular, a rocker woman named Toshi Reagan. She kicked ass. So did Athena Reich.

I'm sorry we didn't win, but I don't begrudge the winners.

OUTmusic Awards on LOGO Tonight.

Tonight, I will be going to the OUTmusic Awards, which I understand will be broadcast on the LOGO network. The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus recording of "Gabi's Song" is nominated in the category of Out Musician of the Year. If we win, I'll be accepting the award for them.

If your cable outlet carries LOGO, be sure to look for us!

A New Way to Attack AIDS?

My Friend, Michael Sugar, pointed me to this article about a possible new AIDS therapy, using stem cells to help the body fight off AIDS and other chronic illnesses.

UCLA researchers demonstrate that stem cells can be engineered to kill HIV

Innovative strategy could be effective against other chronic viral diseases

By Enrique Rivero December 07, 2009

Researchers from the UCLA AIDS Institute and colleagues have for the first time demonstrated that human blood stem cells can be engineered into cells that can target and kill HIV-infected cells — a process that potentially could be used against a range of chronic viral diseases.

The study, published Dec. 7 in the-peer reviewed online journal PLoS ONE, provides proof-of-principle — that is, a demonstration of feasibility — that human stem cells can be engineered into the equivalent of a genetic vaccine.

"We have demonstrated in this proof-of-principle study that this type of approach can be used to engineer the human immune system, particularly the T-cell response, to specifically target HIV-infected cells," said lead investigator Scott G. Kitchen, assistant professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and a member of the UCLA AIDS Institute. "These studies lay the foundation for further therapeutic development that involves restoring damaged or defective immune responses toward a variety of viruses that cause chronic disease, or even different types of tumors."

Time Out NY's Theatre Pick of the Week

Congrats to Jim. This week he's Time Out New York's Theatre Pick of the Week.

Edwin Booth's Bedroom & Rosemary Harris.

Jim & Steve with the great actress, Rosemary Harris, at the Player's Club Christmas Party.

Hey, for history buffs, last night we got a tour of Edwin Booth's bedroom. It's still in the exact same condition as the day he died. Even his slippers are by the bed. He was the greatest actor of his generation. His brother killed Abraham Lincoln.

The Players Club.

You can't believe this place. It's faded elegance is part of the fun. the staircases leading to the library, the room where Equity was born. It's all so foreign to me. So very far away from Arkansas and Texas, and yet, it feels warm and inviting.

The walls were filled with huge portraits of actors in their costumes.

If that doesn't tell you anything, we had dinner sitting at a small table with Rosemary Harris while Jim told stories of attending a "Pipe Night" where Jimmy Cagney sat with three other "Players" and talked for two hours to a room full of men. Women weren't allowed in except on one day a year: Shakespeare's birthday.

We've walked onto the set of Mad Men!

Next week, Jim is going to perform two roles in the Shaw Project, being produced by David Staller. Over the past year, they've performed every play written by Shaw. Every big Broadway star has done one of the readings. (They're done on chairs, holding scripts).

This is the last night. Shaw's last two plays, both unfinished.

In one, he'll be playing a woman.

I'll put up links and pictures, so check back later.

NOTE:
People keep asking me if Zero Hour is going to extend. My understanding is that it can't. That St. Clement's is simply not available. So, while we know Zero Hour has a future, we cannot guarantee people will be able to see it if they wait. I honestly suggest ordering as soon as possible.

Right now, I'm going to assume that this is all there is. That every day spent here is a day we won't get to repeat. But, then, that's what it means to live in the bonus round anyways, so nothing's changed.

But, last night, there at the historic Player's Club, we met Rosemary Harris, invited her to join us at our little table, and it was a magical Christmas present. What a beautiful woman! (Youngsters know her as Spider-Man's Aunt Mae in the movies.)

Hosting Tonight in Norwich

Hey! I almost look like a big star in this story in the Norwich Bulletin.

The Spirit of Broadway has grown into one of the most sought after tickets in the professional theater community. Past guests have included Manhattan Association of Cabaret Artists award winners Julie Reyburn, Tom Andersen, Tim DiPasqua and Carolyn Montgomery, and recording artist, Kevin Wood. Other guests have included Tony Award and Pulitzer prize winner Sheldon Harnick, O’Neil Music Theater Conference Director Paulette Haupt, Broadway Veteran Madeline Guilford, former Associate Producer at Goodspeed Musicals, Sue Frost, and Mr. Jon Kimball, Artistic Director/Executive Producer of North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Guest host for the evening will be the award-winning composer, lyricist and vocalist, Mr. Steve Schalchlin, who together with Jim Brochu, wrote the off-Broadway productions of The Last Session and The Big Voice: God or Merman. He is currently the producer of Zero Hour which is playing at the Theatre at St. Clement’s in New York City. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including Best Musical Score, L.A, Drama Critics Circle 1997 and 2003 and the Best Musical L.A. Ovation Award in 2005. He will be making a return visit to the Spirit Awards as the MC and to provide part of the evening’s entertainment.

Well, I'm not the PRODUCER of Zero Hour. I'm just along for the ride, with the title of "artistic associate," which means making sure the star is being kept warm, happy and well fed -- my favorite job in the world.

It also means helping keep the Zero Hour website up to date, which is what I've just done, including new links to all the New York reviews. Speaking of which, we hear there's a big announcement coming from one of the major newspapers in the area next week.

David Burns & Zero Mostel at The Paley Center.

David Burns backstage during The Price at what is now the Richard Rodgers Theatre, then called the 46th Street Theatre.

Inside the Paley Center for Media, a television museum where there is a treasure trove of history. We were invited to see what kind of video they might have of Jimmy's two biggest stage heroes, David Burns and Zero Mostel. Zero is more famous because he did movies and television. But David Burns, while he appeared here and there on TV, made most of his public appearances on the stage. He was, by all accounts, the funniest second banana who ever lived.

Jim tells the story of David Merrick begging Davey to be in a show. Merrick, was, as "Zero" puts it in Zero Hour, "the meanest son of a bitch in the history of the American theatre."

David Burns was fearless, however. After telling Merrick twice to go f*** himself, Merrick finally called Burns into his office. David entered, stripped totally naked except for his socks and a cigar and stood there waiting for Merrick to pay him what David demanded.

He got it.

The treats this day were numerous.

First, they had a kinescope of Zero doing bits from his stand-up act in 1948! He was a janitor with 10 minutes on his own to clean up the office for Christmas. But what he does is daydream and improvise all over the set. It's just a remarkable piece of tape.

What made us jump, though, was seeing who it was produced by: Phillip Loeb. (If you see Zero Hour, you'll know why this matters. Loeb is a huge part of the play).

But the one that got me was the broadcast of "Hallmark Hall of Fame" production of "The Price," by Arthur Miller. Davey plays this old Jewish man who comes in to appraise, and then buy, a room full of old furniture and personal items. He won an Emmy for this performance.

Now, I've seen some of Burns' stuff, and, while he was definitely a funny guy, most of it seemed to be shtick. Jokes, routines, etc. While I enjoy these things, shtick is still shtick.

I was not prepared for this performance. David was in a scene with George C. Scott, who is no slouch in the acting department, but, by doing nothing but being fully present in the scene, it was as if the center of gravity had moved right to wherever he was standing.

I could see Scott trying every trick in the book to take the scene away, but all Burns had to do was simply open his mouth and say the words, and Scott was left looking like an acting student on his first day in class.

It was a stunning revelation to see David Burns doing what all great actors do when they're at the top of their game, which is nothing. You could see no wheels turning. Nothing except a fully lived flesh and blood character just taking every moment and breaking your heart into a thousand pieces. I was stunned.

The curator told us that so many of the early tapes of live television were just erased over and reused because tape was expensive back then. It's just devastating to think of the history that's been lost because of these kinds of practices. We think of networks as these hulking behemoths with endless pots of money.

But back then, it was you and me and the cat putting on a show.

Jim sat there watching Davy, tears streaming down his face. When Burns had dropped out of The Price due to an illness, they talked him into going back in. So, he called Jim over and Jim had the privilege of sitting there running lines with him as he rehearsed the script. He loved Davy with all his heart. It was Davy who made it possible for him to get backstage, hang out and meet all these great characters. Davy who recommended him for his first job at Surflight Summer Theater.

Jim with Davy Burns.

David Burns, Garson Kanin, Maureen Stapleton and Jim Brochu.

By the time we left the museum, we could hardly speak. But he had a show to do!

God, it's lovely being back in New York.

Finally! Opening Night Video of Zero Hour.

Hey! Did you hear the news? Jimmy opened in New York! Here is the video of what I saw and who I ran into that night. Be sure to look, TLS fans, for a guest appearance.

Two more Fantastic Reviews: Time Out & NY Post.

NY POST. THREE STARS.
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. "Zero Hour" does an excellent job of resisting caricatures and conveying Mostel's hidden depths. Thirty-two years after Mostel's untimely death, it's a pleasure to have him back on the boards.

TIME OUT NY. FOUR STARS.
By all accounts, however, Mostel blazed most brightly in live performance. So we owe Jim Brochu a debt of gratitude for Zero Hour, an extraordinary act of reincarnation that restores the outsize actor to us in all of his daunting dimensions.

Blogging World AIDS Day.

It was World AIDS Day yesterday and I didn't write up anything special since, well, every day is World AIDS Day for me. However, I got a Google alert that someone had collated a number of AIDS blogs together. And, sure enough, there I was right below Shawn Decker, my adopted AIDS son. I'm his blog daddy right in the NY Times Technology section.

Here is the page.

Hosting, Hosting. Singing. Writing.

It was a text message:

"Hey, what are you doing Saturday? Can you take a train up to Connecticut?"

It was Brett Bernardini, the artistic director of the Spirit of Broadway Theatre in Norwich. I called him back, standing out in front of St. Clement's.

"Hey, Brett. What's up?"

"We're doing the Spirit Awards again this year and I want to know if you can host."

I tried to think if there was anything going on besides Jim doing his show.

"I can probably get up there. Sure."

"Okay, great. I've written out a script, but you can rewrite it all you want.

"Great, Brett."

"Last year, Joe DiPietro did it and he kept making fun of the fact that I talk too much."

Joe DiPietro is a well known playwright. In fact, when Jim was producing at the El Portal in North Hollywood, the first production was "Over the River and Through the Woods" starring Joe Campanella and Carol Lawrence.

"How did he make fun of you?" (Brett has a great laugh and a wonderful sense of humor about himself).

"Every time I got up to speak, he held up a picture of a dog and said, 'This is my dog who's not getting to go for a walk.'"

I laughed. "Okay, Brett. Let me ask Jim to make sure, but I think I can make it."

So, on Saturday, I will board a train for Connecticut and host the Spirit Awards in Norwich. Fun!

I love hosting. This past Wednesday, Jim and I co-hosted the Salon at Etcetera Etcetera for Mark Janas, and Jim, having just done a show -- or did he do two that day? -- mostly sat and watched, but then got up and did, with me, "Christmastime" and, with Mark on piano, "If I Were A Rich Man."

You might remember Julie Reyburn. She's a singer Mark Janas works with, and who sang "Going It Alone" at the Spirit Of Broadway Awards when both Jim and I hosted them a few years ago. Since then, every time I see her, I joke with her about not singing it enough. (I want everyone always singing all my songs, all the time). And sure enough, last Wednesday, I made fun of her for not doing it that night.

Then, I said, "It's okay, Julie. I've found a new singer, Jennifer Wren."

Jennifer has been working with Amy Lynn Shapiro, who write the lyrics for "Nobody Leaves New York," ever since Amy began the BMI Musical Theatre writing workshop. And, since this song is going into our new show, "Manhattan Clam Chowder," she already knew the song.

And, boy, did she sing that song. Wow.

I have most of this on tape, but because time is not on my side here in New York, I still haven't edited videos from a week ago, much less this past week. So, I promise to give you, reader, a taste of what Jennifer did as soon as I can. What I can tell you is that when she got off the stage, she passed by Jim who told me that he told her, "You just got yourself a job."

That night, I also led the whole room singing "My Thanksgiving Prayer" and then finished up with "Edison Diner," another song from "Manhattan Clam Chowder."

And then, of course, I announced to the room that I was a jealous songwriter and I wanted everyone there to be singing only my songs from now on.

And why not? Isn't that EVERY songwriter's dream?

Jim and Marvin Hamlisch!

After the show Sunday night, Marvin Hamlisch came to see Jim in his dressing room. Here, they posed for a shot.



Then, Jim told him that Joan Crawford said, "Always stand on the right in a group photo."

Marvin said, "Why?"

Jim responded, "So, you get your name listed first in the photo credit!"



At that point, Hamlisch jostled to get over to the right. And made it!

Project Shaw.

Jim has been invited to participate in a very prestigious play reading series, Project Shaw. He's going to play both a woman AND a man!

The Actress in the Lobby.

The New York Times review posed this question:

"I don’t know how many hours Mr. Brochu, who also wrote the script, has spent in front of a mirror practicing his eye rolls and bellowing quips, but it has paid off.

The answer is zero. He has done that zero times.

I live with him. I know.

However, he does it to the girl checking the groceries. And the taxi driver. And the waiter. And whoever else is in the room. And he's been doing it for the 25 years I've known him.

Brochu is as much Mostel as he is Brochu. I particularly love the quote from The New Yorker. "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."

Zero was all id. The same way Lewis Black is id. It's theatricality, but blatant and unapologetic. And it's truth. Angry truth. Angry, funny truth.

Jim doesn't play Zero. He just lets Zero in for two hours and then he wants home, game shows, the cat and something nourishing to eat (like hot dogs and milk, a food combination that I find completely disgusting). But we all get to visit with Zero.

He even lets you in on the fact that it's an illusion by doing an improv in the middle of "Zero Hour" where you see rage beneath the charming Z, without worrying about the fact that he's acting. When Zero's "real" rage bellows up later, you're ready for it.

Something else wonderful is happening.

All of Zero's friends are showing up. Arms crossed. You can see it in their body language.

"Who is this schmuck who thinks he can be Zero?" "Nobody can be Zero."

And they're right. They're absolutely right. Jim is not Zero. But at some point, during the performance, as someone remarked, you start to laugh, and then you forget. You just forget that you're not seeing Zero, that it's not really him.

And when you realize you've forgotten, it makes you feel warm inside.

Zero's back. He's really back. And he's pissed off. But funny pissed.

After the show, they all want to meet Jim and tell him Zero stories. And this, for me, is the best part of all. Zero stories!

Because, when I say Zero's friends are coming to see the show, what I mean is Theater History is walking through the door. It's pouring into that little historic church so quickly, I don't know where to begin to record it all. For this Buna, Texas country boy, it's completely overwhelming.

Sunday night, after Zero Hour, there was an older lady standing in the lobby. She was very elegant, a little fragile. She said she was an actress who once worked with Zero and she wanted to meet Jim and tell him a story. I invited her back, but there was also a group of his old college theater friends there, most of them now "civilians," one a priest, and, as I let them all in, somehow, I lost this lady in the crowd.

I feel awful that I didn't get her name.

When you do Zero, you open up a window onto a different era, the inhabitants are still around, but only just around. It's one that has special resonance with our own era. One that I understand is currently being captured in "Orson And Me," -- a new film which we haven't seen yet. Jim can't bear to go anywhere on his days off. Taking the veil. He won't go see a show. Bed. Cat. Game shows. We talked about that in The Big Voice.

In Palm Springs, this lady in her 90s, after show -- hair jet black -- said to Jim, "Do you remember me? I'm Anna."

Jim said, "Well, hi Anna."

"I used to see you when you walked your dogs."

Jim never had dogs to walk. And then we realized. To her, he was Zero.

But he was great with her.

Jim took her into his arms and gently reminded her that he was not really Zero, and she slowly realized what she had done, and smiled about it, but it was just so beautiful that she was still there, in the moment. With Zero.

So, Sunday night, this lady, a former actress told me she was in a show with Zero. A Lillian Hellman play or something. But she was down at the actors union and people were encouraging the actors to come in, and she saw Zero approaching down the street. He threw out his arms. She threw out her arms, and he turned around and fell into her arms, in effect, cradling him from behind.

As she told me the story, she giggled and posed like the dancer she was, or maybe is. I could just see this world of New York in the 30s, the verisimilitude smacking me in the face.

This old wooden church with its wooden staircases stood right here in this spot during that time. Its high cathedral ceiling and open area, everything here feels depression era, in a dimmed-out, realistic way. Even the fact that Jim uses no sound equipment. I close my eyes sometimes and can hear the speeches ringing out in union halls and church houses and theaters.

The producers of Zero Hour gave him a huge autograph book. Marvin Hamlisch signed it this weekend.

And we do love the celebrities who have come, and are still coming, but I don't want to lose the other friends. I hope they all come. I hope they all tell us stories.

But, no. Jim didn't practice being Zero, though I confess I've seen him cock an eyebrow in the mirror. (His make-up is disturbingly simple, and it's based on the Hirschfeld of Zero doing Fiddler. Why mess with perfection?)

And he does do crossword puzzles.

(His before-show privacy is guarded with loving ferocity by Jeramy Peay and Don Myers, the kind of stage managers Joan Crawford would have loved, these two are scrubbing down this historic church building, which has a food pantry every Saturday morning, board by board. Don, on the ladder cleaning the fans the other day. Jeramy, dropping down into a break between the grandstand and the wall to pick up trash that had fallen.)

I hope the lady actress somehow sees this entry, somehow, and comes back. I really did mean to escort her back.

When they say that theater is a living art, I'm only just now beginning to understand what that means.