10 Minutes With Brian Stokes Mitchell
COURTESY OF THE MAHAIWE
Gifted performer Brian Stokes Mitchell may be best known for his lead role in the 1999 Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate, for which he won a Tony Award® for Best Actor in a Musical, and his seven-year stint on the beloved TV series, Trapper John, MD. He also gave Tony®-nominated performances in Man of La Mancha, King Hedley II, and Ragtime. In 2016, Mitchell received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award® for his charitable work with The Actors Fund. This prolific artist is no stranger to the Berkshires. The last time Mitchell was here was three years ago, under a tent behind The Colonial Theatre, to benefit Berkshire Theatre Group, The Actors Fund, and Black Theatre United. Mitchell returns on July 15 for the annual gala benefitting Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. He will be accompanied by a fantastic trio that includes Tedd Firth on piano, Clint de Ganon on drums, and Paul Beaudry on bass.
Thanks so much for joining us, Brian! We’re so excited to have you back in the Berkshires. In 2020, you received considerable accolades for singing “The Impossible Dream” (the anthem from Man of La Mancha) every day out of your window in New York City to honor healthcare workers. Can we expect a similar rendition of that timeless and inspiring tune at the Mahaiwe Gala? I don’t want to spill the beans about the performance and ruin any surprises, but I still feel an incredible sense of connection to that song and all of the hope that it represented during the pandemic, especially for healthcare workers. Whenever I do a one-man show, my goal is to reconnect us all to our happy place—the kind of place that we might have lost touch with over the past several years.
I think that people should feel better when they leave the theater than they did when they walked in. The songs that I’ve picked, the flow of the show, and what I say before each song, are meant to levitate the audience so that they feel more optimistic, more empathetic, and more connected than they were before. It’s going to be joyful and fun. I have very eclectic taste, so there will be musical theater songs, standards, and jazz tunes. I’ve been really happy about the way that people have been responding to the show over the past few years. It’s been a joy for me to present.
You’ve also performed at Tanglewood multiple times throughout your career. Do you have any other favorite Berkshire performances? I did an intimate performance with Berkshire Theatre Group in 2020 at the Colonial Theatre. At the time, Berkshire Theatre Group was running their landmark production of Godspell. It was the first professional musical staged in the U.S. after the onset of the pandemic. It was a joyous show that was just what people needed, and it lifted them up in a beautiful way. I want to channel that same spirit and uplifting energy into my show at the Mahaiwe Gala.
Are there any other cultural events that you’re looking forward to attending in the Berkshires this summer? I have friends that I love to come to visit up here, and I’m also looking forward to Ragtime at Tanglewood with the Boston Pops on July 8. I always love going to Tanglewood, because it’s such a beautiful place to perform, not just in terms of the grounds, but also the stage. The whole Berkshire region is beautiful. I love the weather and scenery here.
My wife calls me, “Nature Boy.” Honestly, if I had my druthers, I would probably live in the Berkshires full-time, because I love being around nature. I love smelling trees and being around the plants and the water. It feels like I get a recharge every time I come here. Nature is on full output in the Berkshires, and I’m able to fully enjoy it. I also love the cultural scene and all of the theaters. The Berkshires are full of art lovers of all kinds. People deeply appreciate theater, art, and the effect that it can have on people’s lives.
We can’t wait for your triumphant return! Before we let you go, we would love to know—have you been working on any new projects lately? I have! I want to repackage my past albums through new content platforms, including my YouTube channel. My first album, Brian Stokes Mitchell, told my story through music. It’s the album I’m most proud of, because it was a huge project to take on. I think people now will appreciate that album more in greater context with what I’ve done with my career, so I’m excited to explore repackaging options for that project, as well as my other two albums. I want to find new ways to make music and give people the music that they want to hear and the music that I want to do. I’m also working on videos, filming, arranging, and doing all kinds of things. That’s where I’m putting my creative energy right now, and it’s feeling good.
Brian Stokes Mitchell will perform for the Mahaiwe Gala on Saturday, July 15, at 8 p.m.
—Joshua Sherman, M.D.