Brian Stokes Mitchell to Make Provincetown Debut at The Crown & Anchor This August
By: BWW News Desk Jul. 27, 2017
Producer Rick Murray will present two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell in his Provincetown debut, Sunday August 6 for two performances only, 7:00 and 9:00 p.m. in the Paramount Theatre at The Crown & Anchor. Mr. Mitchell will be accompanied by acclaimed music director and conductor Mark Hummel.
The event is part of the star-studded lineup of the 2017 Crown & Anchor Cabaret Series. Tickets are now on sale for the Series, which takes place this summer in Provincetown, MA at The Crown & Anchor's Paramount Theatre, Cabaret Room, and Town Hall Auditorium.
Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell has enjoyed a career that spans Broadway, television, film, and concert appearances with the country's finest conductors and orchestras. He received Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle awards for his star turn in KissMe, Kate. He also gave Tony-nominated performances in Man of La Mancha, August Wilson's King Hedley II, and Ragtime. Other notable Broadway shows include Kiss of the Spider Woman, Jelly's Last Jam, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, and Shuffle Along. Off Broadway includes Do Re Mi, Carnival,Kismet and The Bandwagon at City Center Encores and Much Ado About Nothing at the Delacorte Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park.
Stokes (as he prefers to be called) was born in Seattle, Washington on Halloween. His father, George Mitchell, was a civilian electronics engineer working for the Navy and later the chief Radio officer with both Scripps Institute of Oceanography and Exxon. His father was also one of the original "Tuskegee Airman"having taught radio code at Moton Field. His mother, Lillian Mitchell was an educator. Stokes spent his childhood in Seattle, San Diego, Guam and thePhilippines. He moved back to the United States at the age of 14 and began studying acting,
Singing, and dancing at San Diego Jr. Theatre. Within two years he was performing on various San Diego stages including the Old Globe Theatre and SanDiego's Starlight Opera Company. A transfer to Los Angeles with the 12th Night Repertory Company gave him the opportunity to start a long career in Television and film.
An extremely versatile and in-demand singer, Stokes has performed at venues all over the country spanning jazz, opera, pops, country, and musical theater worlds. He has performed with John Williams, Gustavo Dudamel, Marvin Hamlisch, Keith Lockhart, Michael Tilson Thomas, Leonard Slatkin, Bobby McFerrin,Dianne Reeves, The Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Big Band, The Mormon Tabernacle choir and the Muppets. Stokes has made multiple appearances at Carnegie Hall beginning with his debut with the San Francisco Symphony through his televised performance in South Pacific opposite Reba McEntire to his sold-out solo concert, which he continues to perform throughout the U.S. Venues he has appeared at include Disney Hall, Tanglewood, Ravinia, The Hollywood Bowl,Radio City Music Hall, Boston's Symphony Hall Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center. He has been invited twice to perform at the White House and has performed for Presidents Clinton and Obama.
Stokes has delved deeply into various music disciplines. In addition to singing he began piano studies at the age of 6. His musical curiosity lead him to aninterest in orchestration, arranging and film scoring which he first started studying on his own in his late teens. He later studied film scoring, orchestration, andconducting through UCLA and scored and conducted a number of "Trapper John, MD" episodes, a series on which he was also a regular cast member. Hismusical talent has extended to the present day as producer, arranger and orchestrator on his own albums including his last release, "Simply Broadway". "SimplyBroadway" is an album of classic Broadway tunes that have been musically reimagined but still retain the spirit of the originals. It features the Tony-winning singeraccompanied by a solo piano and was released in the fall of 2012. It was recorded in the "old- school" style, without overdubs or audio separation - Stokesand his pianist, Tedd Firth, were in the same room at the same time as they recorded the tracks. The song selection includes works from Camelot, Porgy and Bess, Company, Sunday in the Park with George, Les Miserables and other classics. Stokes has appeared on more than 20 albums, his most recent being arecording of "What the World Needs Now" that he did with other members of the Broadway community to help those affected by the recent tragedy at The Pulseclub in Orlando, Florida. He is currently in the studio completing his latest album, Plays with Music which will be released in the spring of 2017.
His extensive screen credits began with a guest starring role on "Roots: The Next Generations" which lead to a 7-year stint on Trapper John, MD. His 40-yearTV/Film run continued with memorable appearances on everything from PBS' Great Performances to Frasier, The Prince of Egypt (singing "Through Heaven's Eyes"), Glee, Jumping the Broom and Madam Secretary. For the past 2 seasons he has recurring roles on both HULU's The Path and Mr. Robot on USA. As avoice- over artist he has portrayed dozens of characters on animated TV episodes. NPR aired his narration of Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait with the U.S. Marine Band. His second performance at the White House, "A Celebration of American Creativity," was aired this year on PBS.
As a writer Stokes has contributed to the book Hirschfeld's Harlem, wrote the preface to At This Theatre, and co-authored the children's book Lights on Broadway.
Stokes has received a number of awards for both his charitable and artistic work including the New Dramatist's Distinguished Achievement Award, the ActorsFund Julie Harris Award, Canada's Dora Mavor Moore Award (The Canadian "Tony"), and the Americans for the Arts Outstanding Contribution to the Arts Award. In 1998 he joined the likes of Helen Hayes, Sir John Gielgud, Alec Guinness and James Earl Jones when he became the sole recipient of the Distinguished Performance Award from the Drama League, the nation's oldest theatrical honor, for his performance in Ragtime. In November of 2016 he was inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame.
Stokes is a great proponent of arts education and speaks passionately about the importance of art in all of our lives. This year he attended the Americans for the Arts National Arts Policy Roundtable at Sundance and was the entertainment host at the first night of Lincoln Center's Global Exchange. He has enjoyedworking with numerous other charitable organizations from the March of Dimes to the USO. Stokes has been the Chairman of the Board of the Actors Fund for the last 13 years and this year received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for his work with that organization.
For fun he has been known to fly planes and jump out of them (usually not at the same time), and he can ride a bicycle on a high wire. He resides in New York City with his wife, son and rescued mutt, Diggidy. For more information go to Brianstokes.com.
Mark Hummel, the Music Director/Conductor/Dance Music Arranger for Disney's Newsies, also wrote arrangements for Hugh Jackman; Back on Broadway, and dance music for Sister Act(Broadway and worldwide). As Music Director for the Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular, Mr. Hummel composed three songs for their 75th celebration in 2007. A three time Emmy Award nominee, he has conducted and/or composed dance music for fifteen other musicals on Broadway, highlights include the Jerry Zaks' 1992 revival of Guys & Dolls, The Boy From Oz, and Chita Rivera; The Dancers Life. Mr. Hummel has also played the White House twice with Karen Akers and written arrangements for two Academy Award telecasts and three Tony Award telecasts. Mr. Hummel also enjoys creating music with Tommy Tune, Bernadette Peters, Liza Minnelli, Shirley MacLaine, Donna Murphy, Rufus Wainwright, Barbara Cook, Amra-Faye Wright, and Brian Stokes Mitchell.
This season, proceeds from the Cabaret Series will benefit the True Colors Fund. Co-founded by Cyndi Lauper, the True Colors Fund is working to end homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth by creating systemic change through a broad continuum of advocacy, training and education, and youth collaboration programs.
The Crown & Anchor 2017 Cabaret Series Schedule:
(One night only, two shows, Provincetown debut)
Paramount Theater
Sunday, August 6 at 7:00 and 9:00 p.m.
Paramount Theater
Monday, August 7 at 8:00 p.m.
Town Hall Auditorium
Saturday, August 12 at 8:00 p.m.
Paramount Theater
Saturday, August 19 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, August 20 at 8:00 p.m.
KIM David Smith
Cabaret Room
Wednesday and Thursday, August 16 & 17 at 10:00 p.m.
Paramount Theater
Monday and Tuesday, August 21 & 22 at 8:30 p.m.
Paramount Theater
Saturday and Sunday, August 26 & 27 at 7:00 p.m.
Paramount Theater
Monday and Tuesday, August 28 & 29 at 8:00 p.m.
Tickets are now on sale both for general admission seating and special VIP packages. Pricing and additional information available online at www.onlyatthecrown.com, by phone at 508-487-1430, or at the Crown & Anchor box office, 247 Commercial Street, Provincetown, MA.
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