Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – Tony winners Brian Stokes Mitchell and Beth Leavel return to the concert stage, much to the thrill of their adoring fans

• By drediman
• July 24, 2021
• No Comments

This past week, I attended concerts from a pair of beloved Tony winners, both of whom exuberantly and emotionally returned to the concert stage for the first time since pre-pandemic times. Neither disappointed their adoring fans, including yours truly. Here are my thoughts.

BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL: OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
Lincoln Center Theater / The Restart Stage at Damrosch Park

First up – courtesy of Lincoln Center Theater – was forever matinee idol Brian Stokes Mitchell, who took to the stage of Restart Stages’ outdoor venue at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park for three consecutive nights last week. The free concert (tickets were distributed via lottery) – appropriately entitled Out with the Old, In with the New (RECOMMENDED) – was a joyous affair, comprised mostly of well known standards from the American and Broadway songbooks, most notably stirring renditions of songs from his biggest successes on the Great White Way (“Make Them Hear You” and “Wheels of a Dream” from Ragtime, and the title song and “The Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha). The two-time Tony winner was as charismatic and squeaky clean as ever, charming the sold out audience with his rich, sterling baritone (he’s still got it!) and infectiously upbeat banter, which included a candid and inspiring recount of his personal bout with Covid. In-demand music director Tedd Firth led a wonderful trio of musicians, who accompanied “Stokes” with smooth playing and expert arrangements.

BETH LEAVEL: IT’S NOT ABOUT ME
Feinstein’s/54 Below

The next evening, I was back once again at Feinstein’s/54 Below to witness Beth Leavel’s vivacious return to in-person performance. Her new show It’s Not About Me (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) celebrates her storied stage career (thus far), particularly her star-making, Tony-winning turn in The Drowsy Chaperone and more recently her acclaimed appearance in The Prom (Meryl who?). It’s no surprise that her amped up performances of “As We Stumble Along” and “The Lady’s Improving” were crowd-pleasing highlights. The show also teased her fans by giving them a preview of a role that seems just tailor-made for her considerable talents at this point in her career – Mama Rose in Gypsy (she knocked “Some People” out of the ballpark). Surely, the types of roles she’s been cast in, which include strong, idiosycratic mothers in Mamma Mia! and Bandstand, have prepared her well for the titanic character, which is widely considered the King Lear of musical theater roles. For not having performed live in more than a year, Ms. Leavel brought her A-game, sounding great – her distinctive belt still packs in the brassy punch – and dripping of her unmistakable sass and wit, much to the thrill of her devoted audience.