Every night, after a 7 p.m. tribute to the health care workers, the booming voice of Broadway legend Brian Stokes Mitchell reverberates through a Manhattan street. It’s his own special way of thanking the medical professionals on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic. Video: Erik Hartog.
Some would pay hundreds of dollars to see a Tony-award winning actor perform Broadway classics but some lucky passersby in New York City have been treated to a free show from the streets.
Every night, after a 7 p.m. tribute to the health care workers, the booming voice of Broadway legend Brian Stokes Mitchell reverberates through a Manhattan street. It's his own special way of thanking the medical professionals on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mitchell -- who was diagnosed with COVID-19 in late March and has since recovered, according to social media videos shared with his "Stokes Folks" -- is seen in one video shared by neighbor Erik Hartog performing "The Impossible Dream" from the 1965 Broadway musical "Man of La Mancha," for which he was nominated for a Tony.
In the video, he changes the lyrics to the popular song slightly to honor the fire and ambulance crews who have stopped by to listen to what would be, under other circumstances, an unlikely moment.
"And the world will be better for this: that one first responder, and firefighter and essential worker," he sings as the crowd gathered in the street below erupts in cheers.
Mitchell spent his teenage years studying acting, singing and dancing at San Diego's Junior Theatre. Among the stages that Mitchell has graced are San Diego's The Old Globe Theatre and the Starlight Opera Company. He then joined the 12th Night Repertory Company in Los Angeles, which launched him into a long career in television and film, according to the San Diego Symphony.
The actor has been nominated for the Tony Award four times, including for "Man of La Mancha," and won in 2000 for his role in "Kiss Me, Kate."
