Mason at Mama’s in March has ended, but the memory lingers on. Mason returned to Don't Tell Mama's for two June weekends, and with a bouncy swing, her second song, "Takin' a Chance on Love" promises, "I'm going to give my all again." And she does. With Christopher Denny's perceptive piano accompaniment and Barry Kleinbort's crisp direction highlighting Mason's comedic, sentimental, and dramatic talents, her show reaches beyond a master class in cabaret to a master class in theater. We can't get enough of Mason, and she's worth every minute.
Don't Tell Mama is where it all began, 33 years ago. In 1982, Karen Mason and the late Nancy LaMott were hired by Erv Raible and Bob Hoskins to inaugurate a new midtown club with a doubleheader. Since then, Mason has played countless rooms around the country, concert halls, and theaters. In March 2015, and again in June. she returned to reminisce about her career, the early years with the late Brian Lasser, her work with Denny, and her performances in musical theater.
The easy, conversational patter is illustrated with well-crafted songs that took root and blossomed in her heart and took over her soul, welcoming the audience into her world with open arms and down-to-earth honesty.
Mason is a belter. She has a big voice that can overwhelm a cabaret room, but she can also finesse a more delicate song's core. She's an actress who sings, creating a character and interpreting the spirit of her songs, every note sure and strong, each word realized, the concept nuanced. She communicates well-selected songs with astute phrasing and stress. "Something's Coming" is a robust opener and the manic comedy of "Murder, He Said," Betty Hutton's hit song from the film, “Happy Go Lucky,” man, it's solid. She presents "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" as good-natured chummy advice, with a little Marilyn Monroe shrug in her shoulders and chaser lights circling above.
It's when she gets to the ballads, however, that she sends darts into your heart. The harmony in the bluesy simplicity of the Gershwins' "How Long Has This Been Going On?" is followed by Lennon and McCartney's "Happy Just to Dance With You" sung here with slow, soft intensity. The tender depth shown in Brian Lasser's "I Made a New Friend" is followed by the youthful essence of "He Touched Me."
From the musical, Golden Boy, Mason delivers a wistful combination of "I Wanna Be With You" and "Lorna's Here," two songs that tell a full love story. Riveting is another pairing of McCartney and Lennon's "Help!" brought down to a slow pace, a perfect fit with Stephen Sondheim's "Being Alive," bringing alive the concept of love. In the Broadway musical, Sunset Boulevard, Mason was a stand-in as silent screen star, Norma Desmond. At DTM, she sets up the scene as Norma returns to the old studio and delivers the show-stopper, "As If We Never Said Goodbye” with stunning drama and empathy.
Before her encore, Mason commented that since more and more of the country is accepting the legalization of marriage equality, she has become a "wedding singer." For gay weddings, or for any wedding, Mason's husband, songwriter/producer Paul Rolnick and Shelley Markham, wrote an eloquent anthem, "It's About Time," and with Lennon/McCartney's, "In My Life," the show wraps up in an embraceable glow.
