BWW Reviews: KAREN MASON Returns To Her Cabaret Roots and Triumphs with Stunningly Nostalgic New Show at Don't Tell Mama

"March is Cabaret Month" in New York gives us the opportunity to examine where we are, and, most importantly, where we have come from with this most magical of all art forms--Cabaret. So how very fortunate we are to see and hear veteran Broadway actress and cabaret performer, Karen Mason return to her roots to lovingly take us down memory lane with her new show Mason at Mama's In March at Don't Tell Mama (which opened on March 1st).

Dressed in an elegant gold lame shirt and leather pants, Mason opened with the same Brian Lasser arrangement of "Something's Coming" (Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim) from her 1982 show (where she and the iconic Nancy LaMott--photo below--inaugurated the main room at Don't Tell Mama) The star is electrifying as she displays the exuberance of her youth, as well as those amazing Broadway vocal chops that knock you out of your seat--if not the room. Her storytelling is as stellar as her vocals, as she weaves the story of how she and LaMott were headliners when the club opened under the meticulous management of Bob Hoskins and the late, great Erv Raible. Mason seduces you with the history and the glamour of the 1982 New York cabaret nightlife, then comically completes her story by referencing her abundant '80s afro hair style, complete with solid gold lame jumpsuit. Yikes!

Romance is a recurring theme with most of Mason's song selections. "Almost Like Being in Love" (another great Lasser arrangement from her 1982 show), a captivating "How Long Has This Been Going On" (George Gershwin), and a lovely, wistful Beatles arrangement of "Happy Just To Dance With You" (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) all contribute to this fun, nostalgic evening. She then takes a comic turn with her manic, high voltage, "Murder, He Says" (sung by Betty Hutton from the 1945 movie starring Fred MacMurray), as well as a snappy "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" (Jule Styne/Leo Robin).

Mason tells us an important part of her performance life involved Lasser, her dear friend and musical collaborator. After leaving college in 1976, she started as a singing hostess in Chicago where she met the late pianist and composer with whom she worked until his death in 1992. Theirs was a musical collaboration made in heaven. The clever Lasser would extract juicy tidbits of Mason's personal life to resurrect them in song. Her love for the man and his music was most evident by her heartfelt offering of Lasser's comically poignant, "I Made a New Friend." Mason then fondly shares the story of her and Lasser's appearance at the now-defunct Russian Tea Room, where she performed then (and on this evening) another exquisite Lasser arrangement of "Lorna's Here" and "I Want To Be With You" (Charles Strouse from the 1964 musical, Golden Boy. Mason's tender performance of this mash-up was an emotional tribute to Lasser's life and their relationship.

Mason's current Musical Director is Christopher Denny, known for his powerful arrangements. In this show, Denny gives us a wonderfully sensitive mash-up of the Beatles' "Help" into Sondheim's "Being Alive" that Mason delivers with such emotional fortitude you feel like you're at a revival meeting. A natural follow-up to this "revival theme" is Mason's fascinating story of her work as a Broadway understudy (for Glenn Close, Betty Buckley, and Elaine Page) for the role of Norma Desmond in Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard. Mason went on to play the role for almost 300 performances over a two-year period both in Los Angeles and on Broadway. To witness Karen Mason's re-enactment of Norma Desmond's spotlight scene on the DeMille set (complete with dialogue) is worth the price of admission alone. Mason is riveting as she throws her attentions to her lighting man, (aptly played here by the lighting designer for this act, Jason Ellis) who throws a follow spot on her beautiful time worn face. Before our very eyes, Mason becomes Desmond singing "As If We Never Said Goodbye," giving us a true master class in acting. (Hear audio from Mason in the show below.) The audience melts with Norma's last lyric "We taught the world how to dream!"

For her one of two encores, Mason sings a wonderful new song "It's About Time" (honoring marriage equality) written by her husband, Paul Rolnick and Shelley Markham. Happily, Mason announces--to the total delight of her cheering audience-- that her new-found career is now that of wedding singer. She masterfully pulls the entire evening together with a final beautifully reflective "In My Life" (Lennon/McCartney) showing us all that, like Norma Desmond, Karen Mason has taught us all how to dream.

Mason at Mama's In March performs every Sunday and Monday at 7PM in March at Don't Tell Mama, 343 West 46th Street. Reservations a must! 212-757-0788 after 4 pm or go to www.donttellmamanyc.com.

Photo top by Maryann Lopinto

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