Karen Mason Introduces Old and New Favorites in FOR THE FIRST TIME at Birdland

Hi there, it's Eugene Ebner with Broadway World TV

and I'm at the infamous Birdland in the heart of New York City with the one and only Broadway and cabaret star

Miss Karen Mason. Hi, Karen. Hi, Eugene. How are you today? So good. It's just a pleasure and an honor

to be sitting and conversing with you today. Thank you. Thanks. You're very welcome

We understand that you have a brand new show, and this is going to be, as they call it

your debut in the new Birdland Theater. Right, kind of old for a debut and it's kind of after

the fact but yes, here at the Birdland Theater will be my debut. Your debut and it's entitled

for the first time and I love this. It's all new, it's all exciting and it's all memorized. I know

Well that part made me laugh. You know, it's funny I and I don't mean to disparage anyone but I guess

I sort of am, that people have iPads now and music stands

This is true. I get if you have, you know, if you're older and have memory issues

God knows I'm familiar with that. But it just seems, you know, I don't know, old school, I guess

And so that just made me laugh. Well, I think it's fun, and I think it made me go

what does she mean by this? No, but it draws you in. Semi-snarky

Yeah. But as I'm getting to know you more on a personal level, I can tell that you're just such a very kind, humble, positive person

How have you been able to stay that way in the business for this long? I have been very lucky that I have a lot of people around me who support me and love me

but never elevate me beyond what is possible and probable. And that's really important

I have people, you know, love is empowering, but it doesn't have to make you into an egocentric person

It should make you capable of doing things. You know, power doesn't have to be so in your face

I think it's when people are more, they're not as sure that they can accomplish things

that they start becoming very arrogant about things. I think you're right. I think insecurity might take over

Yeah. Listen, I God knows I have my insecurities. We all do. Yeah. And but the people that I have that I started working with early in my career, Brian Lesser was a very important part of that, who I met in Chicago

And we worked together for 16 years and Brian very much was a realist, but loved who I was

Whatever that package was, it was fun to explore and collaborate. It wasn't about correcting anything

It was more about just growing into who we were. I think that's amazing too, because then that does not restrict the creativity or restrict who you are

because we all uniquely bring something to the table as artists. Right, and that's what you want is that unique quality

You want to have that, you know, special you. Boy, that sounds so cliche, but it really is

That's true. It's finding, you know, all the parts of you that work together that make you special

I agree. And speaking of being special, you mentioned that, you know

you've been able to stay grounded and humble and people love you, but you haven't taken yourself maybe too seriously

But I really admire you We talked about this off camera how you been able to be successful on the Broadway stage in the cabaret world and been able to balance both

And, I mean, I know it's not about maybe necessarily the awards for you

but you have won 12 Mac Awards. You're receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award

on March 26th at the Mac Awards at Sony Hall. And I want to applaud you for that

because what it says to me is that It's a testament of working hard, showing up, being true to yourself, owning your craft, and allowing yourself to continue to grow

Well, yeah, and the growth is the most important thing to me. It always has been

I mean, it's always hard to talk about yourself in those terms

But always doing something new, you know, expanding and learning more about myself

Because, jeez, you know, throughout my life, as we get older, what I want is different than when I was younger

You know, when I started, all I wanted was my name and lights, you know, and a limo taking me there

And, you know, as I've gotten older, I just want people in the audience and people sharing a cabaret stage with me

Or if I'm doing a show, you know, a theatrical show, to have people appreciate, you know, the work that goes into what we do

And, you know, so things change. And I have to say, I feel very lucky that I've been able to do both theater and cabaret and pretty much anything that, you know, gets thrown in my path

Because to me, it informs everything else. Brian was really good I know he's not here

he died in 92 but when you start out those first people in your life

are so impactful and Brian was always about take whatever you can

because that will always inform coming back to me if you get that show

coming back and working with me is only going to be that much better if you go and do a cabaret

you're going to be that much more aware of who you are as a performer

That's true. Interesting, we're talking about this. When you stand on the cabaret stage now, for instance, this new show for the first time

what is the main thing that's the difference for you? I mean, obviously, I know enough because I'm a performer as well

I mean, cabaret, you're really sharing your own story, and you're not necessarily playing a character like on Broadway

But for you, is there a different, what's a different feeling for you

What does it do for you? There's probably a lot more fear involved with getting up in front of a, it's not even

getting up in front of a cabaret audience, because, you know, I do love doing it

Right. And I feel very comfortable on a cabaret stage. But it's always that initial, you know, that song, will he like me when we meet

that that's kind of you know the first few minutes of a cabaret show you have the full responsibility

of that setting the tones for that show and you have to lead it yeah it's connecting it's it's

for me when i've played roles before on stage maybe in theater it's you want to tell the story

and become the character but you're not necessarily what you're not supposed to worry

or not worry, but you're not connecting this way to somebody. Right, right

You more like sharing the story where in Cabaret it literally like you want that connection Oh absolutely So I do completely understand with that that it a level of I really have to show up now on this stage and connect

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, you know, certainly during love never dies and I certainly would not say this to my employers

But there were times over the past year and a half where you're thinking, gee, I wonder what I'm going to have for dinner

You know, I mean, it's reality. Well, because you've done it so much

you've done it so much that's right and you're kind of tired from all the travel

and you love where you are and you love the people you're working with but you know there's a repetition

that's true that happens and sometimes your mind just goes you know

and I got hungry over those two and a half hours but you know

I don't have that luxury of being able to you know you have to be very present

Be really present. And really show up. And there's the great thing about cabaret is I, for me, I think you have to, you have to really feel confident enough to want to share something with somebody. Yes

And confident that they're going to want to share it back. Because it is a communication

You know, it's not just I'm singing and, you know, they are out there laughing and crying and hopefully

Right. And applauding. And, you know, it is, I feel it's as much a conversation as right now, being on stage and singing to a cabaret audience

That connection. Yeah. And listen, I was very lucky when we started out

God, I really sound like an old person now. You know, when I was young. When we started out, we got a chance to learn who we were

Because we did five nights a week. And sometimes three shows a night

And, you know, you learn who you are pretty darn fast when people are coming in

And, you know, just hoping they find somebody to take home at the end of the night

You know, and it's not you. And so you do learn a great deal about who you are, who you need to be in a connection with an audience, and what appeals to you as a performer

Because it is a personal statement. It is a personal statement. Now, speaking of making a personal statement, connecting and performing on the cabaret stage, what about this show that's now March 20th through the 23rd? Yes

7 p.m. show. So that's four shows to be able to see Miss Karen Mason, which you do not want to miss

You've got to make sure to come out and see her. What can we expect

What is it about? We know it's for the first time, but what kind of songs

Well, the genesis of the idea was that over the four billion years that I've been singing

that I've done a lot of demos and had the good fortune to get to know a lot of really great songwriters

And so I originally started out wanting to do the song called Dance that Amanda McBroom wrote when I did Heartbeats

And she said that she had played the character, the lead character before, but she was the songwriter

So it really didn't matter whether she sang or not. She probably was happy or not

But I wanted to, I was playing it out at good speed and wanted, you know, I said, Amanda

I want to listen I happy to listen to everybody else sing but I like a song And she I probably didn say it as coherently like that Yeah write me a song I probably said I was whining backstage or something Yeah And but she did

She said that this song she wrote with me in mind. And so it's a beautiful song

So that was kind of the genesis of it. I just wanted to do songs I had never performed on a cabaret stage

And so we're putting it together now. And, you know, I should have probably been a little bit less, you know, I should have maybe expanded that all new thing

Because now I'm in the process of trying to memorize it. That's why it's kind of tongue in cheek

You're like, I promise it's new, exciting and memorized. Yeah. Well, now I have a lot more compassion and sympathy for the people who have those iPads

And, you know, if I could have one in the far back with very large print, it would be good

But it's a lot of new songs. A lot of songwriters I've worked with were doing a song that Billy Goldenberg wrote

Now, this is not a song you wrote for me. But it's still new for you, and it's new material

That's right, and Billy is a friend. I've had the good fortune of singing for Charles Strauss and Sheldon Harnick

And, I mean, these are like, these, oh, God, Burton Lane when he was alive

you know and the funny thing about them boy they are a generation of songwriters because it was um

oh sammy khan i was doing this thing honoring burton lane and it was at town hall and burton

was a lovely man was a truly lovely man and his wife lynn and he was sitting in the audience well

sammy khan was backstage and i was singing you know hey buds below office where to grow

and sammy khan is backstage and he goes hey girl and that's like wait a minute this is

hey girl yeah hey girl you you know and he was just he was telling me he loved the way i sang

and he said and the generation of songwriters was hey i've got some stuff i'm gonna send it to you

i'm thinking this is sammy khan saying he's gonna send me songs so i think that's your

moment where you're like maybe I really have made it oh you know it's I wish I had pictures now of

me with all of these people that's why you know it's I wish I were better at Instagram and taking

pictures but um I mean to be able to meet those people and and have them compliment you even just

meeting them the Bergmans you know I mean brilliant yeah these are these are people who

who are such an important part of the American songbook. Of course, and you're representing and introducing so many newer songs

even whether they've been written before you or not or written for you. It's like you said, this is for the first time, even if it's for you presenting it

And so this is what's so exciting, everybody. Not only do you get to see the amazing Karen Mason

but you get to hear all of this new repertoire that she is presenting and sharing

March 20th, 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, 7 p.m. at the Birdland Theater

I really thank you for spending time with me today. Thank you. It's been a pleasure. I really, again, want to congratulate you

for the Lifetime Achievement Award. Thank you. The MAC Awards. Thanks, MAC, for giving it to me

Thank you, MAC, and for the community, the cabaret community of New York City especially

We appreciate you, and thank you for being the humble, loving, wonderful person

and for continuing to share your talent but share your heart as well. I really appreciate that

Well, thank you. Thanks. Bye