He’s been the leading man in so many Broadway shows, it’s hard to believe there’s anything left on his bucket list. And yet, Brian Stokes Mitchell says, there is: “Sweeney Todd.” Mitchell, 62, sung the role of the murderous barber at the Kennedy Center, and tells The Post he’d love to do it here. For now, the Upper West Sider just released an album, “Plays With Music,” with songs by Stephen Sondheim and others. Here’s where you’re likely to find him, wife Allyson Tucker and their teenage son, Ellington, on the weekend.
I’m a huge breakfast person. One of my favorite places is Community, around 111th Street. There are big communal tables and smaller ones as well, and they’ve got a great latte. A lot of folks come from Columbia [University], and it’s got a real nice energy.
It’s so hard to find a bookstore nowadays. I go to Book Culture, which has a great music section. A bit of trivia: I started singing when I was 17, and had this big voice. A number of years ago, I auditioned for Sportin’ Life at the Met’s “Porgy and Bess,” but went into David Merrick’s “Oh, Kay!,” instead.
I think I know every square inch of Riverside Park. I walk it, I jog it, I bike it. I even do tai chi and chi kung there. I love the forever wild section of the part, the ungroomed part. Sometimes, I’ll just sit and meditate, hear the birds sing and watch the squirrels.
My whole family loves museums, and I have memberships at a number of them. We used to go to the Intrepid all the time — my son’s obsessed with airplanes, and so am I. My father was one of the members of the Tuskegee Airmen — he taught radio code and blinker code. I’ve probably spent more hours at that museum than any other on the planet.
My son and I will go to the ends of the earth to find good gelato. One of my favorite places is Il Laboratorio del Gelato on the Lower East Side. Olive oil, black sesame — they have the most inventive flavors. Their pistachio tastes like you’re eating the nut. Nearby, on Orchard Street, there’s a place called Jump Into the Light, a virtual reality place. All of a sudden, you’re surrounded by zombies, or you’re surfing the waves of Tahiti.
I could spend my life watching theater [videos] at the library at Lincoln Center. They have a great exhibition there now on the late Hal Prince. I did “Kiss of the Spider Woman” and they have the two beds there from the set. Hey, that was my bed!
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