Review: Chris Mason in Serendipity

Serendipity

La Boheme, Adelaide

20 August, 2011

Life is like watching YouTube clips – and how true that is – it was one of the sage observations that Chris Mason made in her cabaret debut.

The well-structured show focused on its title theme; Serendipity. It featured a collection of songs and stories about unexpected surprises that Mason came across in her life. Her late blooming cabaret career is one of them, but she’s had many others – finding a long-forgotten letter, falling in love, and moments in her motherhood, to name a few. The songs, which had a good balance of light and shade, were seamlessly tied to her witty, incisive and at times self-deprecating patter.

She kept the talking to a minimum and let the songs tell the stories, which worked beautifully, as she had such deep connection with the lyrics. From the jazzy rendition of opening number “On Broadway” (Mann, Weil, Stoller & Leiber) to the bittersweet “If I Told You Now”(Jason Robert Brown) and the rousing “The Best is Yet to Come” (Cy Coleman), she nailed each number with an impressive vocal range while capturing the songs’ essence and emotions at the same time.

Mason was superbly supported at the piano by Matthew Carey, who never fails to make the singers he accompanies shine.

She had a warm, graceful stage presence and there was genuine rapport with the audience members, who were clearly relating to the songs and re-living their own serendipitous hapstances. She put herself out there with elegant simplicity and not a hint of pretence.  Just a little more direct interaction with the audience would add another element to the show, but no doubt that will come as she continues to hone her craft.

Chris Mason delivered an honest, sincere and authentic performance that spelt classic cabaret. It was an exceptional debut with a promise of more - as she sang herself, ‘the best is yet to come’ from this bright new star.

Related posts:

Interview: Serendipity – life’s unexpected surprises

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