"The going rate for the tooth fairy these days is one or two dollars, depends on what it is," joked Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell while talking about his son.
"He's 6 ½ now, going into the second grade, and he just lost his first top tooth yesterday."
The Tony Award winner, who will be performing as a special guest at the de Jong Concert Hall at Brigham Young University, is now in rehearsals for a new Broadway musical and used his 10-minute break to call and chat with the Deseret News.
"This is the first Broadway show I've done since 'Man of LaMancha' (2003)," he said. "But I did that on purpose. I wanted to be able to raise my son and not worry about my voice holding out for eight shows a week."
But, it's not as if Mitchell hasn't been working. His versatility as a vocalist has made him a highly sought-after performer with the country's top orchestras, including The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, which he performed with at the annual Christmas concert in 2008.
"I had a blast. I love performing with the choir," he said. "They're just top-notch. You can't sing with a better choir. You can't work with better musicians."
Mitchell's appearance is available on DVD and CD. "Mack Wilberg (choir music director) is phenomenal — he's one of my favorite arrangers. And he's one of the most humble people you'll ever meet."
His upcoming concert at BYU will be a mix of musical theater pieces as well as songs from the Great American Songbook. "I'm dong a few things people have heard before, and a lot that people haven't," he said. "This will be more musical theater-centric than my usual."
Mitchell, who won his Tony in 2000 for the revival of "Kiss Me Kate," created the role of Coalhouse Walker Jr. in "Ragtime" (Tony nomination) and received another Tony nomination for his role as Don Quixote in "Man of La Mancha."
"People love those songs," he said. "I like to sing the songs people love, like 'Impossible Dream.' "
"I'm not tired of singing those songs," he said when asked if he was weary of doing them over and over. "One of the interesting things an artist does, is they keep rediscovering things," he said. "Whether it's a jazz piece or a role you've done for 3,000 performances, or a song you're singing for the 3,000th time. My job is to find that spark that keeps it fresh and alive."
Mitchell's performance, originally scheduled for Oct. 3, was moved to the earlier date to accommodate his new Broadway schedule. "Our first preview is Oct. 2. It's called 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,' based on the 1980s film," he said. "And it's just an A-list cast and creative team."
The musical, with music and lyrics by David Yazbek ("The Fully Monty" and "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"), will star Patti LuPone, Sherie Rene Scott, Laura Benanti and "American Idol" runner-up Justin Guarini. "It's just going to be an amazing show. And I'm happy that the timing was right, with my son a bit older. It has just been incredible," Mitchell said.
If you go ...
What: Brian Stokes Mitchell
When: Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m.
Where: de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU, Provo
How much: $13-$40
Phone: 801-422-4322
Web: www.byuarts.com
e-mail: ehansen@desnews.com