Karen Mason’s “Christmas! Christmas! Christmas!” Offered a Sublime Gift of Holiday Cheer

By Marilyn Lester***If there’s a soul left in the world who doesn’t yet know why Broadway and cabaret doyenne and concert-recording artist Karen Mason is a star—capital “S”—they need only look to her recent Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! at the Laurie Beechman Theatre. For three successive nights, Mason offered her talent and herself as she most truly is—a performer of tremendous heart, soaring voice and interpretive skills of the highest order. And on top of all that, she’s a performer of sublime authenticity; there are no airs and graces in her world, and that’s just part of what makes her a great entertainer.

Christmas!Christmas! Christmas! was not a highly scripted show, but one in which music was blessedly at the fore. Judiciously placed narrative was so natural as to seem spontaneous, and some of it was; Mason is a whiz at audience relations and inserts an ad lib or off-the cuff comment with the best of ‘em. She’s also witty and dryly humorous—all very delicious. In many ways, this particular show, with its varied song list represented the “many moods of Christmas.” At its heart, the text was about personal tradition. One recounted, in particular, with her sister and then with the addition of a niece, led to a sweetly rendered “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” (Hugh Martin, Ralph Blaine). Acknowledging that for many, the season brings depression, Mason sang a creative, thoughtful, deeply emotive “Joy to the World/River” (Isaac Watts, Joni Mitchell) in partial duet with Christopher Denny, who’s been Mason’s music director-pianist and friend for nigh on 30 years.

There were numbers not related to the holiday season, but which provided a terrific secular window into the prodigious Mason talent. From the historic 1940 Broadway show, Cabin in the Sky (BIPOCers take note), she offered a jazzy “Takin’ a Chance on Love” (Vernon Duke, John LaTouche, Ted Fetter) and with “He’s Got a Way” (Billy Joel), the delivery was so heartfelt, you just know that song was for husband, Paul Rolnick. And of course it wouldn’t be Christmas without a Rolnick tune—in this case, “It’ll be Christmas Before You Know It,” written with Henry Cory.

Medleys also played a big role in Christmas!Christmas! Christmas! not the least of these being “Seasons of Love/What the World Needs Now is Love/We Need a Little Christmas” (Jonathan Larson/Burt Bacharach and Hal David/Jerry Herman), which addressed the gorilla in the room: the seemingly never-ending pandemic and the scary new covid variant, Omicron. But the show must go on, says the show-biz tradition, and Mason valiantly demonstrated she’s a trouper to an audience who was fully present to safely enjoy, support and help Mason spread good cheer.

And so bits of comedy were a perfect Christmas tonic in the spreading of cheer department. Her jazzily seductive rendition of the old chestnut “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) was a charming and fun opener. “Not This Christmas” with Barry Kleinbort’s added lyric to Brian Lasser’s original rules about what not to give Mason for Christmas, was brilliantly hilarious. Kleinbort also directed the show, and it’s pace and staging, like hand in glove, served the star’s presentation to the proverbial “t.”

Among the many other riches of Christmas! Christmas! Christmas! was a magnificent rendition of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas/Silent Night (Walter Kent and Kim Gannon, Franz Xaver Gruber and Joseph Mohr). The latter component of the medley showcased Mason’ vocal range and her depth as a performer. Her arc, from quiet reverence to majestic glory, was thrilling. The cherry on top of the holiday sundae was a song that summed up and spoke to us all in this season of great rejoicing and existential crises: “Sweetest of Nights and Finest of Days” (Shelly Markham, Judith Viorst). At a time of year when gratitude is a major theme, it’s with gratitude that we salute Mason, Denny, Kleinbort and stalwart bassist Tom Hubbard, all of whom brought a shining bright light into this particular holiday season.

Treat yourself to Karen Mason’t new CD, Let the Music Play: for more information and to purchase, click here.

All photos by Maryann Lopinto