Karen Mason
Millennium Stage/The Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C., November 12, 2015
Reviewed by Michael Miyazaki for Cabaret Scenes
In her concert for the Millennium Stage, Karen Mason transformed the cavernous atrium of the Kennedy Center, one of the largest indoor spaces in Washington, into an intimate cabaret venue.
The set, composed mostly of standards from theater and film, started with an edgy take on “Something’s Coming” and a sprightly “Almost Like Being in Love.
buy symbicort online https://jersey-hemp.com/wp-content/languages/new/online/symbicort.html no prescription
” Highlights included an uproarious “Murder, He Says,” a romantic reading of The Beatles’ “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You,” and a moving version of the Barry Kleinbort/Joseph Thalken “Time.” The set ended with the intense medley of “Help!
buy flexeril online https://jersey-hemp.com/wp-content/languages/new/online/flexeril.html no prescription
” and “Being Alive” followed by a tender “Over the Rainbow.”
Introducing Mason, Michael Kerker of ASCAP summed up her work when he stated, “She takes the composer’s music and the songwriter’s words and gives them heft, weight, and true heartfelt emotion.” Director Kleinbort structured the show with great flow and refreshingly let many of the songs go from one to the next with no patter in between. A consistent treat of Mason’s work is to hear her couture musical arrangements by the likes of Brian Lasser and current Musical Director Christopher Denny, who provided seamless support for the concert.
One of the biggest bonuses of this show for cabaret fans is that it was recorded and is available on the Kennedy Center site at http://www.kennedy-center.org/video/index/M6541/