UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Tony Award-winning baritone Brian Stokes Mitchell, described by a New York Times reviewer as “the last leading man,” performs songs from popular musical theater productions in “Simply Broadway” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17, in Penn State’s Eisenhower Auditorium.
Mitchell, who came to national attention for his role as Dr. Justin “Jackpot” Jackson on TV’s “Trapper John, M.D.,” earned a Tony Award for best actor in the 2000 revival of “Kiss Me, Kate.” He also received Tony best-actor nominations for the musicals “Man of La Mancha” and “Ragtime,” plus the play “King Hedley II.”
In the “Simply Broadway” concert — based on his recording of the same title that USA Today chose as one of the best albums of 2013 — Mitchell and pianist Tedd Firth enliven classics from Broadway’s “Camelot,” “Porgy and Bess,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Les Misérables” and other shows.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $47 for an adult, $20 for a University Park student and $37 for a person 18 and younger. Buy tickets online or by phone at 814-863-0255. Outside the calling area, dial 800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at four State College locations: Eisenhower Auditorium (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), Penn State Downtown Theatre Center (weekdays 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.), HUB-Robeson Center Information Desk (weekdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) and Bryce Jordan Center (weekdays 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.). A grant from the University Park Allocation Committee makes Penn State student prices possible.
“Mr. Mitchell commands a singularly thunderous baritone,” wrote a critic for the New York Times. “Few other Broadway baritones have such vocal resources.”
Watch a video of Mitchell performing a song from “South Pacific."
Mitchell’s career has involved extensive work in television and film. In addition to his seven-year stint on “Trapper John, M.D.,” he’s made guest appearances on shows including “Frasier” and “Glee” and a co-starred opposite Angela Bassett in “Jumping the Broom.”
Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring a visiting artist or local expert, is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for tickets holders.
Lynn Sidehamer Brown and Kimberly Watkins sponsor the concert.
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