Karen Mason

30…and Counting

Birdland, NYC, August 8, 2022

Reviewed by Ron Forman

Karen Mason is an iconic Broadway, cabaret, and recording artist who, after a more than 40-year career, still has maintained her lovely soprano. Her many years on Broadway have given her the ability to use her considerable dramatic skills in many of the songs she performs. This show at Birdland celebrated her 30 years of working with her music director and pianist Christopher Denny. Denny was an integral part of the show; as the pair worked seamlessly together, his piano was the perfect accompaniment for her voice.

Mason opened with a lively “Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart” followed by a slow-tempoed “Just in Time.” She dramatically meshed two Charles Strouse and Lee Adams songs—“Lorna’s Here” and “I Want to Be with You.” Her soft soprano worked perfectly on the combination of “Watch What Happens” and “I Will Wait for You.” She spoke lovingly about her longtime association and friendship with Brian Lasser, her music director for the first 15 years of her career, and then she poignantly sang “I Made a New Friend,” a song he wrote especially for her. She fondly recalled her experience starring in the failed Broadway musical Wonderland, from which she performed “Finding Wonderland,” the song she introduced in that show. After saying that she had not performed it for more than 30 years, she invoked much laughter with “Show Queen”; its lyrics were written for her by her longtime director Barry Kleinbort and was sung to the melody of “Show Me” from My Fair Lady. Recalling what it was like starring on Broadway, she nicely put together “On Broadway” and “Broadway Baby.” Next to closing she slowly sang the Lennon/McCartney “Help” as it has never been sung before. It was followed by “Being Alive,” begun slowly and softly and then building to a big finish.