BWW Reviews: Tony Winner Brian Stokes Mitchell Enchants with SIMPLY BROADWAY Concert

Whenever one watches a live musical performance from Tony Award-winning Broadway icon Brian Stokes Mitchell, the experience, frankly, feels like an extra special gift---a privilege that you wish everyone in the world can partake in and enjoy. Blessed with a rich, booming, intensely-controlled Baritone voice and unrivaled acting chops, Mr. Mitchell---without question or pause---is one of the few male Broadway musical theater phenoms that continues to enjoy the same legendary status that his female diva counterparts (like Audra, Patti, and Bernadette, to name but a few) do.

And it's fairly easy to see (and hear) why---as evidenced by his recent return to Orange County's Segerstrom Center for the Arts, in a show that kicked off its 2014-2015 Cabaret season.

For 90 solid, intermission-less minutes, the incredibly talented Mr. Mitchell---under the guise of a showtunes-centric cabaret concert themed around his most recent studio album Simply Broadway---provided his enthralled Costa Mesa audience a virtual master class in musical theater performance. Not only did he sing every selection beautifully (as expected), he performed the heck out of each song with electric, palpable passion. Instead of merely parking himself in front of a mic, the seasoned pro of film, television and the Broadway stage chose to actually disappear into each song's character with purposeful yet effortless ease.

It was indeed a thrill watching the actor, with minimal fuss, morph from one character to another---and all without a costume change! Mitchell's lovingly-curated concert set---a rousing mixture of popular, time-tested Broadway classics and even a few specific songs that he previously performed himself---provided him with a creative outlet to transform himself into different personas instantly on-stage.

Accompanied only by his first-rate musical director, arranger/pianist Tedd Firth, Mitchell opened the show by simply flashing a wide smile before going into the a cappella intro to the jazz standard "Feeling Good" before cheerfully welcoming the enthusiastic audience to the Segerstrom Concert Hall for Simply Broadway. Soon after, like a daring surprise, Mitchell ditched the mic stand and proceeded to act out a superb, bilingual rendition of "I, Don Quixote" from Man of La Mancha (a role that previously earned him a Tony nomination).

All evening long, Mitchell gave stunning, note-perfect renditions of many Broadway hits while traversing from one end of the stage to the other, vigorously acting out each musical selection as if casually putting on a pretend-play in his living room (man, I bet the dinner parties at his house are amazing)!

In Mitchell's hands, Broadway classics like "C'est Moi" and "How To Handle A Woman" (both from Camelot), "If I Were A Rich Man" (Fiddler On The Roof), and "It Ain't Necessarily So" (Porgy and Bess) were transformed into self-contained, beautifully rendered tour-de-force numbers that shook us to hang on to every word and every lyric as if hearing them---and their meanings---for the very first time.

In between songs, as one might expect in such cabaret shows, the genuinely happy, affable Mitchell shared a few recollections and anecdotes of his career while imploring the audience to continue supporting the arts and to "spread the joy." He was so gosh-darn happy that he even took time to bestow praises on the concert hall's brand new ultra luxe grand piano.

Meanwhile, it was made remarkably clear that Mitchell is just as exceptional with comedic roles as he is with dramatic ones. I cannot begin to describe how moved I (and, undoubtedly, the audience) was during his highly-emotional takes on "Stars" (from LES MISERABLES), "Sorry/Grateful" (from Company), "What Kind Of Fool Am I?" (from Stop The World, I Want To Get Off), "Finishing The Hat" (from Sunday In The Park With George), and, most especially, Billy's "Soliloquy" from Carousel (that latter one actually made me cry a bit). His encore numbers were also quite endearing.

While part of me wished he performed a song from Ragtime or "This Nearly Was Mine" from South Pacific (his version of this song is, hands down, my favorite of all time), I was not disappointed with his inclusion of an ethereal "Some Enchanted Evening" (South Pacific) or, wow, his absolutely riveting, belt-tastic finale "Impossible Dream" (from, again, Man of La Mancha). The guy certainly loves ending with big, stratospheric notes, and for good reason. He is definitely one of Broadway's best belters---male or female.

I also especially loved the way he interchanged pronouns from 'he' to 'she' (and vice versa) throughout the night, as if making sure the lyrics are applicable to everyone who may share similar sentiments. And, my gosh, when he slows down a ballad even more, you can hear a pin drop in that massive hall!

I dare say that he's such a theatrical marvel---accentuated by eloquent phrasing and a stunning vocal range---that each selection from his lovingly-curated set sounded as though we were hearing the absolute definitive versions of each memorable classic. He dove into each character so well that every song felt like it was crafted into mini vignettes that perfectly encapsulated a sample of humanity. It's not difficult to be awed by Mitchell.

This is, of course, not a fluke. The last time the OC (and myself) were graced with Mitchell's talents on this very same stage was for a celebration for Stephen Sondheim, in which the master composer himself spoke live on stage (talk show style) while Mitchell and Tony Winner Christine Ebersole provided live renditions of Sondheim's music in between the interviews. Even then, Mitchell (alone and in duets with Ebersole) enchanted with his vocal and acting abilities.

An honest-to-goodness stage star, nothing beats seeing and hearing Mitchell perform live and in the moment. He is so staggeringly good, that it's now harder to fathom a world where someone with this kind of immense talent would ever go unnoticed. I pray many of you may experience his talents live on a stage soon if you haven't already.

Photos courtesy of SCFTA.

Follow this reviewer on Twitter: @cre8iveMLQ

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Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2014-2015 Cabaret Series continues with Johnny Mathis, November 8, 2014; a special INTO THE WOODS Reunion featuring James Lapine, Stephen Sondheim, and the Original Broadway Cast, November 9, 2014; Judy Collins, December 6, 2014; Laura Benanti (Center Debut), February 12-14, 2015; Ann Hampton Callaway, May 7-9, 2015.

For more information or to purchase tickets or subscriptions, visit www.SCFTA.org.

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