Karen Mason: “The sweet love songs are my favorite”

Karen Mason has starred on Broadway, Off-Broadway, television, and recording. She originated the role of Tanya on Broadway in Abba´s MAMMA MIA!, Her other leading roles include Norma Desmond in SUNSET BOULEVARD,  In regional theatre, Karen starred in WHITE CHRISTMAS, SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM, GYPSY y COMPANY.

She has also released some recordings, the last is ‘Right Here / Right Now’, that was released last May 20th. Karen has performed solo concerts around the world receiving critical acclaim and standing ovations.

Karen Mason tells us more details about her profesional career on Broadway and about her last release.

YOUR LAST CD IS ‘RIGHT HERE / RIGHT NOW’, WHAT COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT IT?
This is my 6th Cd. My producer, Paul Rolnick, chose the songs which include his song RIGHT HERE/RIGHT NOW(a beautiful long song!), and some of my favorite songs like ALL THAT JAZZ, AS IF WE NEVER SAID GOODBYE (from Sunset Boulevard, which I did on Broadway!).

WHAT KIND OF MUSICAL SONGS DO YOU ENJOY MOST SINGING?
I love singing! So as long as the song means something to me, I love singing it! But I suppose the sweet love songs are my favorite. Something soft and beautiful!

VELMA VON TUSSLE IS THE “BAD” CHARACTER OF HAIRSPRAY. IN MUSICALS, THERE ARE NOT FREQUENT ANTAGONISTS AND NEGATIVE FEMALE CHARACTERS. HOW HAS IT BEEN TO PLAY THIS ROLE? HAS IT BEEN VERY DIFFERENT OF THE ROLES YOU HAVE PLAYED UNTIL THE MOMENT?
Playing Velma is a challenge because I don’t share her personal beliefs! But I try to see her as a person who is just afraid of any change. And as we all know, there are a lot of those people in this world, unfortunately! And she is similar in that way to Norma Desmond, which I played in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s SUNSET BOULEVARD. Norma Desmond was not only afraid of change, she didn’t believe change had happened! Both very interesting women!

IN THE MOVIE INDUSTRY, MANY ACTRESSES FIND IT DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN POWERFUL CHARACTERS FROM CERTAIN AGE. IN YOUR CASE, YOU HAVE PLAYED ROLES AS INTERESTING AS TANYA ON MAMMA MIA!, NORMA DESMOND ON SUNSET BOULEVARD O VELMA VON TUSSLE ON HAIRSPRAY. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT IN MUSICAL THEATRE IT IS EASIER FOR AN ACTRESS TO PLAY GREAT FEMALE ROLES AT ANY AGE?
In musical theatre, we have the same challenges in finding roles for women “of a certain age”. But the great thing about musical theatre is that there are always revivals and regional theatrical productions of shows that do have these roles available. As long as you are willing to travel, you can play all types of roles.

YOU’VE WORKED IN TWO SHOWS THAT HAVE BEEN TRANSLATED TO THE BIG SCREEN. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT MUSICAL MOVIES CREATED FROM MUSICAL SHOWS? DID YOU LIKE THE FILMS OF HAIRSPRAY AND MAMMA MIA!?
I think it is a challenge to translate musicals to film, but I do love them! And they do bring joy and music to a wider audience. However, you cannot substitute the experience of being in a theatre seeing a “live” show with seeing a musical. Having people sing and perform in a Broadway theatre……and sharing that experience with people in the audience is a true gift.

YOU HAVE PERFORMED BOTH ON BROADWAY AND OFF-BROADWAY, AS WELL AS ON REGIONAL PRODUCTIONS. WHICH ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE TYPES OF PRODUCTIONS AND ON WHICH ONE OF THEM DO YOU FEEL MORE COMFORTABLE?
I have to say that it doesn’t matter the size of the production……what matters is the care and love of the people involved. I have done very large shows and very small shows, and both can be either fantastic or miserable experiences. What matters is the people involved!!

THE CONCERTS YOU OFFER ARE VERY PERSONAL AND YOU CAPTIVATE TOTALLY THE AUDIENCE. HOW DO YOU PREPARE A CONCERT, HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE SONGS YOU ARE GOING TO SING AND WHICH ARE THE FEELINGS DO YOU WANT TO TRANSMIT TO THE PEOPLE WHO ARE LISTENING?
I work with fantastically talented people. And the concerts are true collaborations. Christopher Denny is my musical Director (and has been for 17 years), Barry Kleinbort is my Director….and we get together and discuss the repertoire for a concert. The repertoire will depend on the type of audience and venue we are going to play. I personally love to keep my concerts full of different types of music. Singing songs from Billy Joel to Irving Berlin, from Broadway to movies! I love to choose a program that will let me sing all types of songs and all types of emotions! I just want people to come and have a good time… and maybe a laugh and a cry!

LAST YEAR YOU WERE OFFERING ONE OF THIS CONCERTS AT BARCELONA’S LICEU, HOW DID YOU REMEMBER THIS EXPERIENCE?
I loved singing at the Liceu!! What a gorgeous hall, and an amazing audience! The audience was so smart and open to me. It was an absolute thrill! This was my first time in Barcelona, and fell in love with the city! I can’t wait to come back!!