The acclaimed star of stage and screen Karen Mason talks to Joseph Planta about her new album Let the Music Play (Zevely Records, 2021).

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver, British Columbia, at TheCommentary.ca.

Karen Mason joins me now. The acclaimed stage, screen, and concert star has a new album out, Let the Music Play. It’s out Friday, 12 November 2021 digitally and on CD from Zevely Records. It showcases the wide breadth of Ms. Mason’s vocal talents from the showstopping and subdued, to the poignant and powerful. Some of the tracks on the album include “On Broadway,” “He Touched Me,” “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “In My Life,” “When You Wish Upon a Star,” as well as “For Good,” featuring its composer Stephen Schwartz on piano, and “We Can Be Kind,” featuring its composer David Friedman on piano. Karen’s husband Paul Rolnick, who produced the album, also contributes four songs. I’ll ask Karen about “Jerusalem,” as well as “We Never Ran Out of Love (We Just Ran Out of Time)” which is a bonus track, songs Mr. Rolnick wrote. The album’s title track is also a collaboration between Rolnick and David Friedman, “Let the Music Play.” It’s an anthem, opening the album reflecting the reopening of live performances in New York, where Karen joined me from a couple of weeks ago. Here’s a bit of that song now. Karen Mason has starred on Broadway, Off-Broadway, television, in concert, and in the recording studio. She is a 13-time MAC, Manhattan Association of Cabaret, Award winner, including the 2019 MAC Lifetime Achievement Award. A regular in the New York cabaret scene, she originated the role of Tanya in Mamma Mia, for which she received a Drama Desk nomination, and was recently seen as Madame Giry in the North American premiere of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera. For three years, she played Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles and on Broadway. She was most recently seen in the Netflix series Halston, starring Ewan McGregor. Visit www.karenmason.com for more. Please welcome to the Planta: On the Line program, Karen Mason; Ms. Mason, good morning.

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