Karen Mason: Karen Mason Birthday Bash

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Karen Mason

Karen Mason Birthday Bash

Birdland, NYC, March 30, 2026

Reviewed by Jacqueline Parker

Karen Mason
Photo by Maryann Lopinto

When a performer is very good, it’s easy to write a review.  Wordsmiths that we are, endless adjectival superlatives are at our disposal. When a performer is great, sometimes it’s simply a matter of our being near a keyboard—the review almost writes itself.

However, in that echelon occupied by a rarified few, the usual compendium of words is not enough. It is at that point that we are forced to create a new word that can capture all we want to impart.  In this case, the word is karenize. It means, quite simply, to take a familiar song and put it through the dynamic mind, spirit, and talent that is Karen Mason and to have a product that at times can be almost unrecognizable, yet unforgettable.

This woman is a powerhouse; from the moment she stepped on stage she delivered a high- energy, can’t-take-your-eyes-off-her performance. Dressed in white with sparkly pants and jacket accented with appropriate diamond jewelry, she twinkled in every moment, literally and figuratively.

Ostensibly, we were all there to celebrate her birthday. She is an Aries, the baby of the zodiac, and true to her sign, she is fearless, playful, and was as irresistible as a newborn. Her patter was warm and sincere, a bit edgy at times, and funny, such as when she spoke about being asked to sing “I’m Gonna Live Till I Die” (Mann Curtis/Walter Kent/Al Hoffman) at a wake in the Frank Campbell Funeral Home.

And just like being with a baby, there are always surprises. Her rendition of “Something’s Coming” (Leonard Bernstein/Stephen Sondheim) was so defiant in its delivery that I felt the urge to look over my shoulder to see what that “something” was. She then jumped back to 1951 and the song Rosemary Clooney made famous early in her career: “Come On-a My House” (Ross Bagdasarian/William Saroyan). Mason imbued it with an unmistakable hint of naughtiness that Clooney could not have employed at her time, much to the enjoyment of the audience.

A highlight was a trip back to Mason’s first role on stage as Carrie Pipperidge in the Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein classic Carousel. She made “Mr. Snow” her own without the gimmicks that can distract in the most unsatisfying ways. It was spellbinding. An extra treat was her simple, honest, and oh-so-moving rendition of “It Had to Be You” (Gus Kahn/Isham Jones). After her usual energetic forays around the stage to punctuate her performance, she chose to just lean on the piano and deliver the tune, verse and all.

Her ferocity returned with “But the World Goes ‘Round” (John Kander/Fred Ebb), and following that that the real song of the moment—”Happy Birthday” (Patty and Mildred Hill),  which allowed the audience to serenade her in full force. The moment was made all the sweeter when her husband, award-winning record producer and songwriter Paul Rolnick, stepped up to the stage with a cake complete with a lit candle as we sang.

With Christopher Denny on piano and Tom Hubbard on bass as her guiding stars, Mason gave a performance that was profound and conveyed the wisdom that comes with age. This was her 75th birthday—the jubilee year symbolized by a diamond. There are many jewels in the cabaret world, but Karen Mason is the diamond that sparkles the brightest.

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Jacqueline Parker

Like Ethel Merman, lifelong New Yorker Jacqueline Parker began her career as a stenographer. She spent more than two decades at the city's premier public agency, progressing through positions of increased responsibility after earning her BA in English from New York University (3.5 GPA/Dean’s List). She won national awards for her work in public relations and communication and had the privilege of working in the House of Commons for Stephen Ross, later Lord Ross of Newport. In the second half of her career, Jacqueline brought her innate organizational skills and creative talents to a variety of positions. While distinguishing herself in executive search, she also gave her talents to publishing, politics, writing, radio broadcasting and Delmonico's Restaurant. Most recently, she hosted Anything Goes! a radio show that paid homage to Cole Porter and by extension the world of Broadway musicals and the Great American Songbook. Other features of the show were New York living, classical music, books, restaurants, architecture and politics. This show highlighted the current Broadway scene, both in New York and around the country through performances and interviews with luminaries including Len Cariou, Charles Strouse, Laura Osnes, Steve Ross and Joan Copeland. Her pandemic project was immersion into the life, times and work of Alfred Hitchcock, about whom she has written a soon-to-be-published article. Jacqueline has been involved in a myriad of charitable causes, most notably the Walt Frazier Youth Foundation, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Sisters of Life, York Theatre, and the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival. She is a proud Founder of Hidden Water. Her greatest accomplishment is the parenting of her son, a lawyer specializing in mediation. She has many pretend grandchildren, nieces and nephews, on whom she dotes shamelessly, as well as a large circle of friends to whom she is devoted. Her interests in addition to theater and cabaret are cooking, entertaining, reading, and spending time on Queen Mary 2.