By Maryann Lopinto***Broadway’s Karen Mason returned to Birdland in a brand new show, Karen;s Back at Birdland, this time covering many songs from the catalog of John Kander and Fred Ebb, and also presenting many tunes that related to the theme of Spring. The show was also a birthday celebration with the reverse gift of a beautiful performance.
She began with her version of “Lulu’s Back in Town” with new lyrics written by her director Barry 
Kleinbort, transforming the song into “Karen’s Back In Town.” Other renditions included from her friend, the late Billy Goldenberg (with Alan and Marilyn Bergman), “If I Close My Eyes” and “Up In the Sandbox;” and a heartfelt “Finding Wonderland” (Wildhorn, Murphy) from Wonderland in which she starred as the Queen of Hearts, Right after this show closed (in the Spring), Kleinbort wrote Mason a song, “Show Queen” based on Frederick Loewe’s “Show Me:” hilarious.
A song written by her husband Paul Rolnick (to whom she got engaged in the Spring) with Henry Cory, “Cold Enough to Cross” was a song of hope. Mason paired “Somewhere” with “Impossible Dream,” offered “Colored Lights” (which always brings the house down) and many others, including “Personal Property” (Coleman,Fields), “You’ve Got a Friend” (Carol King) and “59th St. Bridge Song” (Simon, Garfunkle) and closer song “Look for the Silver Lining” (Kern, DaSilva), a statement of hope and the need to take care of ourselves and others in this time of chaos and anxiety.
Karen Mason is a songwriter’s dream: a brilliant and heartfelt interpreter of lyric. Kleinbort her director is a perfect partner and the arrangements by her Musical Director, Christopher Denny, with bassist Ritt Henn, were brilliant.
