Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway's leading leading baritone, loves the familiar theater songs, but his musical interests are wide. Jazz plays a large part. For his second cabaret show at Feinstein's at Loews Regency, Stokes was accompanied by a string and percussion rhythm trio, and they opened swinging with "I've Got You Under My Skin."

Stokes is a theater singer and actor completely comfortable without a script. He enjoys the audience. He moves around the stage, drawing in everyone. He never loses connection with the song's intent and his lyrics are crisp. He engages the audience with his own optimism and good will. In Love/Life, his previous show at Feinstein's, Stokes shared his joy at being a new father. This time he talked about election night one week earlier, when he and his wife walked outside and made their way up to Harlem where they found a jubilant crowd, all races, ages, groups and individuals, celebrating in a common elation of a new president. This led into a stirring rendition of, "America, The Beautiful." Stokes had sung this song during the campaign, but at this performance, it electrified, building over two choruses in his resonant chest tones. He segued into "Wheels of a Dream" from Ragtime, the musical that won him a Tony Award, and its dream of promise for the future. "What a Wonderful World" continued the spirit, followed by his encore, "The Impossible Dream," which spoke to Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

The timing and the eloquent introduction to this sequence of patriotism and hope was appropriate and moving, and the highlight of this show.

It was not, of course, the only notable element in this program. "Waters of March" (Jobim) is a celebration of the renewal of life after the rainy season in Brazil. Stokes sang this with vocal stress on the different elements, shadowing them with fresh versatility. He capped it with a riff on the melodica. Later, he mentioned this was his first try on the melodica, although he plays an acoustic harmonica at home.

As a child, he was influenced by the Ella Fitzgerald and Chick Webb recording of "A Tisket, A Tasket," which he took on an energizing, playful, jazz driven journey. He sang an original country-flavored tune, "Life Is What Happens," which continues, "while you're waiting for life to begin."

His accompaniment included Bashiri John on percussion, Gary Haase on bass, and a young guitar virtuoso, Jeff Peterson.

Brian Stokes Mitchell made the songs he likes to sing into songs you like to hear. This was a short engagement at Feinstein's. There have been times when performers returned back in the same season, so we can hope that happens here. In any case, Stokes again made Feinstein's cabaret room into a wonderful world of good-will and entertainment.

Elizabeth Ahlfors
Cabaret Scenes
November 12, 2008
www.cabaretscenes.org