Broadway star charms audience
A long line of locals and Syracuse University students stretched around the circular seating area of Schine Student Center on Thursday night, waiting to enter Goldstein Auditorium to hear Brian Stokes Mitchell perform.
‘It’s really surprising, actually,’ said sophomore musical theater major Blair Beasley, gazing at the crowd ahead of her. ‘I would’ve never expected this many people to show up.’
Presented by Pulse Performing Arts Series, the performance is the organization’s last major show of the year, said Pulse member Maggie Gleason, who is also a senior art history and public relations major.
Inside the auditorium Thursday night, the Brian Stokes Mitchell Trio, consisting of a pianist, bass player and drummer, sat quietly on the stage. A few minutes later, Mitchell stepped into the spotlight.
In his greeting to the audience, the Broadway legend noted the unusual weather.
‘Who would’ve thought it’d be so warm in Syracuse?’ said Mitchell, who has also dabbled in television and book publishing.
Mitchell has acted in the musicals ‘Man of La Mancha,’ ‘Kiss Me, Kate’ and ‘Ragtime,’ as well as various other Broadway plays. His best-known television role is Trevor, one of Hillary Banks’ boyfriends in ‘The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.’
Stokes discussed the characters he typically plays on Broadway and said, ‘I seem to play a lot of bad boys.’
Taking on the persona of a married heartbreaker mourning over his days as a bachelor, Mitchell crooned ‘Where Is the Life That I Led’ from the Broadway musical ‘Kiss Me, Kate.’
Next, tapping into his jazz roots, Mitchell sang Cole Porter’s ‘Love for Sale’ and Ira Gershwin’s ‘How Long Has This Been Going On.’
The other songs Mitchell performed were a combination of Broadway tunes and personal favorites, one of which was Antonio Carlos Jobim’s ‘The Waters of March.’ He alternated between singing and playing the melodica, a flute-piano instrument hybrid, for the song.
The most memorable part of the show happened when Mitchell pointed to the microphone in his hand.
‘In 1946, they didn’t have these things,’ he said. ‘I call them ‘cheaters.’ We have this great, great hall here with these wonderful acoustics and a great high ceiling, so I thought it would be fun to do (a song) in 1946 style for all of you tonight.’
He proceeded to sing ‘This Nearly Was Mine’ from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s ‘South Pacific’ without the ‘cheater.’
After singing three more songs, Mitchell joked with the audience.
‘Well, time flies when there’s only one act, huh?’ Mitchell said. ‘You guys are the best audience ever. It is warm in Syracuse.’
His tone then took a serious turn. Lowering his voice, he said that despite current issues in the world, he’s still optimistic about the future.
‘I think one of the things that has kept us all going is hope,’ Mitchell said. ‘Hope for our kids and hope for all of our generations that follow us.’
He then launched into ‘America the Beautiful’and ‘Wheels of a Dream’ from the musical ‘Ragtime.’
When he finished, he received a standing ovation. The clapping persisted, and Mitchell stepped out again, finally concluding the show with ‘The Impossible Dream’ from the Broadway musical ‘Man of La Mancha.’
After Mitchell’s performance, he held a book signing for his children’s hardcover story, ‘Lights on Broadway: A Theatrical Tour from A to Z.’ All proceeds from the show will go to the Actors Fund, a charity that helpssupport those in the show business during times of need or in transition.
After the show, sophomore musical theater major Emily Boyke said she enjoyed Mitchell’s performance.
‘I love that he came to campus because I wouldn’t know another time when I would be able to see him, especially for $5,’ Boyke said. ‘That was really tremendous.’
Published on February 20, 2011 at 12:00 pm
