‘The Secret of the Ancient Divas’
Opening at Don’t Tell Mama on March 1 with her cabaret spectacular “The Secret of the Ancient Divas,” Karen Mason promises to continue to rock the world of cabaret in New York City. Known for such roles in theatre as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard, Tanya in Mama Mia and Velma Von Tussle in Hairspray, Mason will also be hosting this year’s MAC Awards on March 26.
Well spoken, vivacious and a lot of fun, I had the opportunity to speak with Karen, and I enjoyed our conversation immensely.
You will be coming home to Don’t Tell Mama on March 1. Tell me about that.
Well, it was back in ‘82. I was working a lot at the Duplex. Rob, the owner of the Duplex, decided to open up a new space called Don’t Tell Mama up on 46th Street, and asked Nancy Lamont and myself to open it. So we did. From what I remember it was November 1982. I kept my friendship with the space now that Sidney Myer is running it, and he and I have been friends for a long time. I really was interested in doing a long run somewhere, being able to build up some steam. I love doing cabaret, I love doing theatre, I love recording, but cabaret will always have a special place in my heart. Somebody mentioned going back to Don’t Tell Mama to do a run, and it just feels like going home. It’s a place where a lot of people have started, including myself. We’re just gonna go back and do a little bit of everything. So much has happened; so many people have come and gone in this world. So many friends of mine lost during the ‘80s, including the guy I was working with, who I opened the room with. His name was Brian Lasser. Brian and I opened, and Nancy and I alternated shows. She would take the early, I would take the late one week. Brian had not been diagnosed with AIDS yet. He died in ‘92 and was diagnosed in ‘89. The people who owned it, the people who ran it, so many people are gone. I just thought it felt like a nice thing to do. I’m going home and doing a lot of the music we did then, and some of the music I’ve done through the years since then. I’ve been working with Christopher Denny since Brian died. I just wanna go and make great music. We’re keeping the cover very low. We’re keeping it to $20 and a two-drink minimum, so we can get a lot of people in the room and just have a great time for five weeks.
It sounds very exciting.
Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. I’m probably more nervous about this show than a lot of others I’ve done, because when you “go home” you wanna show off a little bit. There’s so much pressure to make it special. I’m kinda nervous about it and very excited. I kind of like that it’s not gonna be so expensive so that it doesn’t keep people from having a great time.
Cabaret is very important in nightlife entertainment.
Oh yeah, it really is. It’s that communication; sometimes it gets a little lost. The thing that’s really been important to me is seeing my audience and communicating with them. I like that idea that we’re kind of sharing what the hour is. The audience is a present as I am. There’s that energy that flows throughout the room. The room is not big, so everybody shares in the energy of that room. The good thing about doing five weeks is that we could shake it up, change the show in midstream.
I love the title of your show, “The Secrets of the Ancient Divas.”
I love it.
It sounds almost like a drag title.
It’s such a fun show. I just did it in Tampa. People love that show.
Then at the end of the month you’re going to be hosting the MAC Awards.
I know.
You have a busy month, girl.
Lenny is the president of MAC, and he’s asked me in the past, and something has come up, and I just thought this is the last year with Lenny to do this, so I have made it a golden date, and I’m not changing it for nothing. I’m looking forward to it. Cabaret has been great to me. It’s been a special home. It’s allowed me to find out where I am as a performer, and I keep coming back and discovering new things. When Brian and I first started we both wanted to do theatre. We met in Chicago and moved to New York together. He was my music director for 16 years and kind of introduced me to the world of cabaret. I just wanted to sing with Brian, and I didn’t care where we did it. Cabaret became our home for a long time. It’s definitely like breathing oxygen coming back to cabaret.
Karen, can you recall the funniest or most embarrassing moment you’ve ever had on stage?
On opening night at Don’t Tell Mama 1982, the person who was running lights and sound introduced me as Karen Aggers. That was my introduction to Don’t Tell Mama!
Oh, no.
I think I screamed out Karen Mason.
You’ve done many roles. Do you have a favorite?
I think that actually Norma Desmond, I loved playing Norma Desmond. The reason that was challenging was two things. I did not create the role. I was the stand by for Glenn Close out in L.A., then in New York. You have to be very careful when you’re covering for someone. You don’t just mimic them. You really do kind of bring something of your own. I was really proud of myself for working with the right people who got that out of me. It was an achievement to be able to work in the shadow of Glenn Close.
Just being Norma Desmond had to be a rush.
It was a rush. It was just joyous.
Well, I wanna wish you a lot of luck at Don’t Tell Mama!
