Broadway’s leading man, Brian Stokes Mitchell, has been thrilling audiences with his rich, powerful baritone in concert halls and on theatre stages since the early 90’s. When he’s not singing or acting on stage or television or in the movies, he takes the occasional dip into the intimate spaces of nightclubs. This fall, Mitchell returns to those relaxed settings when he premieres at Café Carlyle, the cabaret in the Carlyle Hotel in Manhattan in an all-new show beginning September 15.
The acclaimed thespian, who won the 2000 Tony and Drama Desk awards for his role as “Fred Graham/Petruchio“ in Kiss Me Kate, will perform Broadway favorites, standards, and jazz tunes in a show entitled “Plays With Music.” He will be accompanied by a trio led by his long-time pianist and collaborator, Tedd Firth, with Gary Haase on bass and Mark McLean on drums.
“This is a totally new show! I’ve been having a blast putting it together and creating new and creative arrangements of some great tunes – the title says it all – Plays With Music,” Mitchell said.
Although, Mitchell is making his debut at Café Carlyle, he’s no stranger to cabaret performances. In 2005, he made his New York cabaret debut as both singer and musical arranger at Feinstein’s at the Regency in his critically acclaimed one-man show “Love/Life” which then moved to the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center. He received both the New York Bistro and Nightlife awards for his cabaret debut. He returned there in November of 2008 with another successful concert where he was accompanied by a guitarist, a bassist, and a percussionist. Additionally, Mitchell’s baritone has blessed the ears of audiences from Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to the Kennedy Center and the White House.
Mitchell is also active in the recording booth, with appearances on more than 20 albums as a cast member or a special guest. He’s also released two of his own albums, his self-titled debut in 2006 and “Simply Broadway” in 2012.
Mitchell has enjoyed an extensive and illustrious career in theatre, appearing in Man of La Mancha (Tony nomination and Helen Hayes Award); Ragtime (Tony nomination); August Wilson’s King Hedley II (Tony nomination); Kiss of the Spider Woman; Jelly’s Last Jam; David Merrick’s Oh, Kay” and “Mail,” which earned him a Theatre World award for outstanding Broadway Debut. Most recently, he performed in the Lincoln Center Theatre’s 2001 production of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown with Patti LuPone.
In 2016, Mitchell is slated to star on Broadway in a new musical entitled Shuffle Along, or, the Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed. It will also star Audra McDonald as “Lottie Gee,” Billy Porter, Joshua Henry, and Brandon Victor Dixon.
For more information on Mitchell’s appearance at Café Carlyle and to make reservations, visit The Café Carlyle.
