By Marilyn Lester***A man of many parts, a man of many accolades, and one who’s, by all accounts, a mensch—all palpable in An Evening with Brian Stokes Mitchell at 92NY. In two generous hours of performance, Mitchell, actor-singer-musician, Theatre Hall of Fame inductee and two-
time Tony Award winner, revealed a magnificence of talent and overflowing charm, plus a rather cool turn on the melodica: what a beautiful escape from the existential anxiety of the current world political situation. Speaking to that reality, the concert began with a video of “Hope,” a collaboration with composer Jason Robert Brown, a gift of solace and a great platform for an uplifting, happy show ahead.
Opener was a rousing, jazzy interpretation of “There’s No Business Like Show Business” (Irving Berlin), The arrangement by music director Tedd Firth, with a creative rhythmic contrast at the outset, firmly established Firth’s genius as an arranger. Musicians may appear as “background” for an artist, but their vital role in any performance is very much foreground. Firth and Mitchell have worked together over many years, and what’s apparent is that theirs is a collaborative partnership, which is why they took final bows together.
As to Mitchell’s vocal prowess: his speaking voice is mellow and pleasant, but when opened up to song, a powerful, resonant baritone emerges from deep within. Unleashed thus, Mitchell is a killer on numbers including “I, Don Quixote” (Mitch Leigh, Joe Darion), “Stars” (Claude-Michel Schönberg, Alain Boublil,
Herbert Kretzmer) and one of the two encore songs, “The Impossible Dream” (Leigh, Darion). Add to his skill set: versatility. Mitchell is equally commanding on non-anthemic works including ballads and musical theater “novelty material: “How to Handle a Woman” (Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner); “It Ain’t Necessarily So” (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin); and a patter song that would be the envy of any Gilbert and Sullivan character man, “Getting Married Today” (Stephen Sondheim).
Perhaps what defines Mitchell most is a sublime storytelling ability. In narrative he’s personal, intimate and delivers the text as if he were entertaining in his own living room. Of particular charm was the story of serendipitously discovering a delightful tune by young songwriters Nikko Benson and Elizabeth Suggs: “A Wizard Every Day.” This clever, spunky tune has now become a part of his repertoire and he delivers it with wonderful, quirky charm. Another fascinating piece of Mitchell history was in growing up with a jazz-loving father, and consequently his own love of jazz, especially Duke 
Ellington (and the Maestro’s right-hand man, Billy Strayhorn). Strayhorn’s “Lush Life,” a harmonically and particularly emotionally demanding tune is one that’s flummoxed even the greatest of singers, including a Mitchell. Significantly, during his lifetime, Strayhorn wouldn’t allow anyone to sing it but Lena Horne.
As this amazing evening drew to a close, there was a surprise in the offing: the appearance of Ragtime composers, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty in the audience. Reprising his turn as Coalhouse Walker Jr., Mitchell sang a powerful “Wheels of a Dream,” including the cut verse, which Mitchell had performed at the 92nd Street Y prior to the show’s original production. Coming full circle to the theme of hope, the other of the two encores was “What a Wonderful World” (George David Weiss, Bob Thiele); one could almost perceive the ghost of that other icon of joy, Louis Armstrong, on stage next to Mitchell, beaming.
