Ruth Leon recommends… memorial for us all – Brian Stokes Mitchell

Memorial For Us All – Brian Stokes Mitchell

If you are not familiar with Brian Stokes Mitchell, all I can say is that you’re missing one of the gems of the American musical theatre and, arguably, my favourite leading man.

Brian Stokes Mitchell is an American actor and singer. A powerful baritone, he has been one of the central leading men of the Broadway theatre since the 1990s. He has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a ​Drama Desk Award, Outer Critics Circle Award and a nomination for a Grammy Award. In 2016 he received the Isabelle Stevenson Award.

In this simple-seeming video, accompanied by pianist Tedd Firth, Tony Award-winner Brian Stokes Mitchell, ‘Stokes’, as he is known to his many friends, does something very simple and, at the same time, very difficult. He simply stands against a plain background, with a single microphone, and sings. No props, no set, no costume, no lighting, just a man singing some famous and beautiful songs as a tribute to honour those lost to COVID-19.
​
He offers these songs, Memorial For Us All, to provide unity, comfort, and healing. As he says, music unlocks thoughts, feelings, and memories that unite and free us.

Read more