((PKG)) BRIAN STOKES MITCHELL, BALCONY SINGER
((Banner: Paying it Forward))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Additional Camera: Ellington Mitchell))
((Interviewer: Luke Golub Fedor))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female; 3 male))
((NATS: Clapping))
((Ashley Bonner, ER Nurse from Alabama))
I'm a nurse from Alabama, an ER nurse who came up here
to travel. I'm here for 13 weeks. I work at Metropolitan in
East Harlem. For every night at 7 o’clock, all the cheers go
up for everybody on the frontlines and a gentleman comes
out here to the balcony and he sings and he's got the most
beautiful voice.
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell clapping & singing))
((Alana Pantale, New York))
I've been out here about five nights.
((Victor Caldwell, New York))
I've come out about at least a dozen times, if not more.
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
Hi, I'm Brian Stokes Mitchell. We are here on the Upper
West Side of Manhattan. The idea to start singing on the
balcony was kind of spontaneous. I had been suffering with
COVID for a couple of weeks and it actually had moved into
my lungs. And one of the things that I did to exercise my
lungs was to sing. And it got to the point, finally, where I
could sing without coughing. And that was the night that I
actually, when I was at the window, because I went there
every night anyway to applaud all of the health care workers
and essential workers here. And I thought, you know what,
I'm going to sing a song this time. So, I broke out into the
Impossible Dream and that's kind of how it started.
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell clapping & singing))
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
The Impossible Dream is a bit of a signature song for me
because I played Don Quixote on Broadway. It started to
attract a crowd down on the street now. I'm not there to sing
for them. I'm there singing in thanks to all the essential
workers, the bus drivers, the MTA workers, the ambulance
drivers, the NYPD, the fire department.
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell clapping & singing))
((Stephen Russo, New York))
I live right upstairs and have been listening to Brian Stokes
Mitchell for the last couple of weeks. It's been very
inspirational and the crowds out here. Sort of meaningful
that he himself had gone through that and was really giving
back to the community.
((Victor Caldwell, New York))
People feel just a little bit better for that one or two
minutes and just inspired like, “you know, we're going to get
through this.”
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
I want to say thank you to all of you for showing up. Thank
you to the NYPD and to the officers, to our fire department,
to our MTA, to the delivery people, to all of the people, the
EMS workers that are keeping New York City going. And I
hope that everybody continues to clap and cheer for
everybody that's working so hard right now. At 7 o'clock
every night. Thank you everybody. Stay safe! Keep loving
one another!
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell singing))
And the world will be better for this.
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strolled with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable…..
…..and I’m going to do a big note for everybody standing
here…..
STAR
Thank you all. Thank you all.
((NATS: Crowd))
Thank you so much.
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
You are so welcome. Thank you for listening.
((Banner: Paying it Forward))
((Reporter/Camera: Aaron Fedor))
((Additional Camera: Ellington Mitchell))
((Interviewer: Luke Golub Fedor))
((Map: New York City, New York))
((Main characters: 1 male))
((Sub characters: 2 female; 3 male))
((NATS: Clapping))
((Ashley Bonner, ER Nurse from Alabama))
I'm a nurse from Alabama, an ER nurse who came up here
to travel. I'm here for 13 weeks. I work at Metropolitan in
East Harlem. For every night at 7 o’clock, all the cheers go
up for everybody on the frontlines and a gentleman comes
out here to the balcony and he sings and he's got the most
beautiful voice.
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell clapping & singing))
((Alana Pantale, New York))
I've been out here about five nights.
((Victor Caldwell, New York))
I've come out about at least a dozen times, if not more.
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
Hi, I'm Brian Stokes Mitchell. We are here on the Upper
West Side of Manhattan. The idea to start singing on the
balcony was kind of spontaneous. I had been suffering with
COVID for a couple of weeks and it actually had moved into
my lungs. And one of the things that I did to exercise my
lungs was to sing. And it got to the point, finally, where I
could sing without coughing. And that was the night that I
actually, when I was at the window, because I went there
every night anyway to applaud all of the health care workers
and essential workers here. And I thought, you know what,
I'm going to sing a song this time. So, I broke out into the
Impossible Dream and that's kind of how it started.
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell clapping & singing))
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
The Impossible Dream is a bit of a signature song for me
because I played Don Quixote on Broadway. It started to
attract a crowd down on the street now. I'm not there to sing
for them. I'm there singing in thanks to all the essential
workers, the bus drivers, the MTA workers, the ambulance
drivers, the NYPD, the fire department.
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell clapping & singing))
((Stephen Russo, New York))
I live right upstairs and have been listening to Brian Stokes
Mitchell for the last couple of weeks. It's been very
inspirational and the crowds out here. Sort of meaningful
that he himself had gone through that and was really giving
back to the community.
((Victor Caldwell, New York))
People feel just a little bit better for that one or two
minutes and just inspired like, “you know, we're going to get
through this.”
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
I want to say thank you to all of you for showing up. Thank
you to the NYPD and to the officers, to our fire department,
to our MTA, to the delivery people, to all of the people, the
EMS workers that are keeping New York City going. And I
hope that everybody continues to clap and cheer for
everybody that's working so hard right now. At 7 o'clock
every night. Thank you everybody. Stay safe! Keep loving
one another!
((NATS: Brian Stokes Mitchell singing))
And the world will be better for this.
That one man scorned and covered with scars
Still strolled with his last ounce of courage
To reach the unreachable…..
…..and I’m going to do a big note for everybody standing
here…..
STAR
Thank you all. Thank you all.
((NATS: Crowd))
Thank you so much.
((Brian Stokes Mitchell, Broadway Star/Film Actor))
You are so welcome. Thank you for listening.
