Interview: In Rochester Anything Goes, Kel Mitchell Returns to His Stage Roots

By the time Kel Mitchell got famous on Nickelodeon for All That, Keenan and Kel, and the film Good Burger, he had already been a rising star in the Chicago theater scene. As an adult, his career has expanded — he’s not just a TV star anymore, he’s a youth pastor, a writer, a voice-over artist. And now, in the OFC Creations production of Anything Goes in Rochester, he’s realizing that he’s a musical-theater star, too. Mitchell sat down with TheaterMania to share his excitement for the show, which runs through April 19.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

How are things going over at Anything Goes?
It’s going great. I’m having a blast. It’s an iconic role to play in an iconic show, and I’m just happy to be a part of it, man.

Having grown up watching you on television, I didn’t know you had a theater background.
Yes, I do. That’s literally how I got started on the south side of Chicago. I used to go see these plays when I was a kid at the ETA Creative Arts Foundation. It was a theater that I grew up in. I did a summer program there and started doing plays. I went from doing plays there to doing plays in downtown Chicago at Victory Gardens, the Goodman, those iconic theaters. That was the kickoff.

How did you get from the Chicago theater scene to All That?
I was doing a play called Eden [by Steve Carter] at Victory Gardens in 1993, which is about a West Indian family. I ended up in the newspaper for my performance, and an agent noticed me. I started going on different commercial auditions that were in Chicago, and then Nickelodeon did a nationwide search, with auditions in Chicago. That’s how I got on the show.

What is it like to get back to your roots in this way?
It’s great, man. The energy is so positive. We’re having so much fun singing together, dancing together. I’ve just been enjoying it. You have to be a triple-threat. I don’t play any instruments, but I rap, I sing, I dance. I’ve always done that within my career. I love telling stories and putting smiles on people’s faces.

There’s no musical that puts a smile on people’s faces like Anything Goes.
That is so true. And I love that. This is a musical where everyone leaves happy.

Did you audition for it?
They called my management and asked if I would be into this. And I talked to my wife, I said “Yo, Asia, this would be great.” It’s been really cool to go back on stage. My goal is to do Broadway, so this is awesome. I knew the songs, which are super iconic. I’m dancing around my Airbnb, singing my heart out. It reminds me of when I did Dancing With the Stars, because we had eight to 12 hours of rehearsal, getting up early every day and doing the same routine over and over again. I’m glad I did that, because it gave me the consistency of working, working, working.

It sounds like you’re having a lot of fun.
Yeah. You have to, you know what I mean? I’m doing what I love. This has been a journey since I was a kid. I’m still working in entertainment, and I love entertainment because there are so many different aspects to it. To be amongst this amazing, amazing cast on stage is cool!

So, you’re in the Rochester area. How many times have you been recognized so far?
Dude, it’s been a lot, which is awesome. Shout out to all the Rochester fans. It’s been funny. I was on the phone with my wife last night and I was like “What’s happening out here in Rochester?” They’ll go “Hey, you know who you look like?” and then I’ll say “Yeah, that’s me.” And then they scream. That goes on everywhere I go out here. The people here are really, really nice.