Brian Stokes Mitchell - Going, Going...Gone!

If you're a Brian Stokes Mitchell fan and you're interested in seeing his solo concert debut at Carnegie Hall on October 15th at 8pm, you better get online or over to the box office ASAP. Word has it that it's a hot ticket and only the $50 seats remain...and not a lot of those. 

This is sure to be a sell-out event, benefiting The Actors Fund of which Stokes is President and boasts a couple of special guests, including the announced Reba McEntire and Phylicia Rashad, as well as some last minute additions. 

Ads have appeared in The New York Times and People Magazine and this Sunday's New York Times will have an ad which also gives The Actors Fund telephone number of 212-221-7300 ext. 133 if you want to get premium priced seats and support The Actors Fund which also gets you into the private party after the show and allows you a tax writeoff for a wonderful cause, helping the theatrical community.

Also that evening, Patti LuPone will be on hand to present theatrical lawyer John Breglio The Actors Fund Medal of Honor.

The evening's musical selections will come from Mitchell's distinguished career achievements as one of the central male star figures of the theatre over the last two decades as well as contemporary recordings and music he has always wanted to perform.  

"'Stokes' last played Carnegie Hall in 2005 for the critically acclaimed concert version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific co-starring Reba McEntire and Alec Baldwin.    Stokes' celebrated baritone has been heard on some of the world's most renowned stages including Lincoln Center, the Hollywood Bowl, Tanglewood, The Walt Disney Concert Hall and Ravinia.  His musical versatility and thrilling voice has kept him in demand by some of the country's finest conductors and orchestras, performing Broadway tunes, jazz standards and contemporary pieces under the batons of such greats Leonard Slatkin, Marvin Hamlisch, John Williams and Paul Gemignani.  In 2006, Mitchell's solo recording debut served as the flagship release for an innovative new record label, Playbill Records, a venture with Sony BMG," as described in press materials.

This year, The Actors Fund celebrates 125 years of taking care of everyone in the performing arts.  The organization is in many ways a safety net for those in the community who are seeking assistance.  With nearly 36% of entertainment professionals having no health insurance and unemployment rates reaching 70-80%, the Fund was developed as a way for the community to take care of itself; for individuals to help their colleagues and give back to the community at the same time.  Brian Stokes Mitchell has served as President of The Actors Fund for three years.

Directing Mitchell's solo debut is director and producer Richard Jay-Alexander.  Jay-Alexander recently completed Barbra Streisand's North American and European Tours.  He also directed Broadway's Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga in their Carnegie Hall debuts.  Known for his affiliations to Broadway and musicals such as Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, he has worked with many stars, including Bette Midler, Johnny Mathis and Ricky Martin, to name a few.  Jay-Alexander is also Executive Producer for Playbill Records.

"It is hard to put into words how incredibly honored and excited I am to be making my solo debut on one of the most celebrated stages in the world.  I have been a part of some very special shows at Carnegie Hall with other great artists, but to now have a performance that is all my own is going to be an all together different experience," stated Mitchell (Man of La Mancha, Kiss Me, Kate, Ragtime).  "The Actors Fund is a critical organization for everyone in the entertainment industry and I am proud that this important night in my career can also benefit this wonderful organization."

The legendary Paul Gemignani will serve as the shows Musical Director and Conductor.  He is currently the Musical Director for 110 in the Shade and recently won an Emmy for the aforementioned performance of South Pacific which aired on PBS.  He has more than 35 Broadway and West End shows to his credit, including Follies, Pacific Overtures, Candide, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Evita, Dreamgirls, Merrily We Roll Along, Into the Woods, On the Twentieth Century, Sunday in the Park with George, Jerome Robbins' Broadway, Crazy for You, Passion, High Society, and Kiss Me, Kate.  Gemignani was presented with the American Theatre Wings' Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award ® in 2001 and has been synonymous for his work with Stephen Sondheim.

Tickets for Brian Stokes Mitchell at Carnegie Hall can be purchased by calling the Carnegie Hall Box Office at 212-247-7800 or online at www.carnegiehall.org.

For more information, please visit www.actorsfund.org and www.Brianstokes.com.

Photo by Joan Marcus