Interview: Serendipity – life’s unexpected surprises

We’ve all stumbled upon something or someone that lead to unexpected outcomes. In emerging cabaret artist Chris Mason’s case, a few chance events brought her to the world of cabaret and as a result, she rediscovered the joy of performing. She is about to make her cabaret debut with the show  Serendipity. As she prepares for the preview on the 20th of August, she spoke to Cabaret Confessional about the show’s creative process and her own serendipity moment.

What is the theme/concept of Serendipity?

I find that life is full of surprises. You think you know what you want but in the process of looking for it you often discover something completely different that actually suits you better - Serendipity.  It’s how I got into cabaret. The show is about peeling back the layers of our lives and finding things you don’t expect.  

Could you share one of the serendipitous moments that you’ve experienced without giving too much away if you’re going to mention them in the show?

I had never intended on performing again, especially at this late stage in my life. I hadn’t really sung for over a decade and had lost a lot of confidence in myself as a singer and performer, but then serendipity came into play. I had just walked away from a career in management and was looking for something that was better suited to my parenting duties when I applied for a job at my daughter’s new school. It was there that I met Katie Carey who introduced me to her husband Matthew and the world of cabaret.

I remember Katie giving me a ticket to see Ann Hampton Callaway at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in 2006. I nearly didn’t go. I came out of that show completely in awe and quite emotional. It dawned on me what I had been missing. A really odd thing happened when Ann signed a CD for me after the show. She asked me if I was a singer and I had no idea how to answer her. When I got home that night I decided that maybe the universe was telling me something!

Who are some of the composers and songwriters you’ve chosen for Serendipity? 

Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, John Bucchino, Jason Robert Brown and Cy Coleman to name a few.

You’ve been making regular appearances at Adelaide’s cabaret open mic night Cabaret Live! – how much did that influence you to perform a full-length show?

Cabaret Live! provides a wonderful opportunity for artists to perform regularly and practise their craft in front of an audience. I’ve been trying out a lot of different material at Cabaret Live! over the last 12 months, building my confidence and testing out what does and doesn’t work. The audiences and other performers have always been very supportive and encouraging.  Cabaret Live! has been my classroom in a way.  

Tell us a bit about your background as a performer?

I started out in the mid 70s, straight out of school, singing in a prog rock band. We did classic covers but also a lot of original material which I co-wrote with the guitarist. We were regulars on the local pub circuit and did some recording. It was a great time back then with the pub rock scene in full flight.

I later did some piano bar work, made it to the finals of a national TV talent contest and performed in a local cabaret/variety show that was popular in Adelaide during the 80’s. After my daughter came along I retired from performing except for the occasional sing with friends in a funk/rock band.

How did you find the whole experience of writing a cabaret show?

I love the process but at the same time it is incredibly difficult and frustrating. You can’t fast track it; there are no magic bullets. For me it is a long slow process with a lot of attention to detail. I am constantly reworking ideas, tweaking and fine-tuning. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve said ‘Okay now I’ve got it’ and then 5 minutes later I’ve gone back to the drawing board to start again. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like you are moving forwards at all, that’s where the persistence and trust in yourself needs to kick in. It has been as much of a personal journey as it has been a creative one. I can’t wait to see how the show will continue to change and grow over time. I still have so much to learn.

What was the song selection process like?

Initially it was quite random because I had no idea what I was doing. I started selecting songs from my favourite writers before I really understood my concept. And then I panicked because I thought I had no way of linking the songs together. I had approached it the wrong way around. I remember sitting and staring at my set list for hours on end just trying to make sense of it. After months of head banging I was about to give up and cut the lot when I realised it was actually very simple.  I had chosen the songs intuitively, so there had to be a deeper reason why I wanted to sing them. I just had to strip back everything I thought I knew. Once I stopped looking so hard and thought about the songs honestly, I understood that they did work together and they did tell a story.

What do you find the most appealing about cabaret?

I like the intimacy of the art, the emphasis on the story telling. As an audience member I like that I am close to the performers and can see all the tiny details of the performance, I can watch them breathe life into a lyric.

Who/what has been your biggest inspiration and why?

I am inspired by performers who take emotional risks, are generous and honest in what they give to their performance, and who can interpret a lyric in their own unique way.  Artists like Barb Jungr, k.d. lang and Maria Friedman are incredibly inspirational to watch. I am always moved by their performances.

How do you find Adelaide’s cabaret scene as an emerging performer?

We are very lucky to have the Adelaide Cabaret Festival and Cabaret Fringe here, where we have the opportunity to see an amazing variety of local and international performers. Adelaide based cabaret specialists like Matthew Carey, Catherine Campbell, Frank Ford, and Michael Morley supporti and nurture new and young talent, making it a very exciting place to be.

What is cabaret to you?

For me it is the intimate art of storytelling.

Where would you like to see yourself headed?

I want to continue exploring truth in performance and connecting with a lyric in my own unique way. I am very much a work in progress and will probably continue to be until I take my last breath. I hope I am still going in my nineties, I think I might be quite good by then.

If you could have anyone you want to sing a duet in your show, who would you pick and why?

That is really tough to pick, so many choices. Just one? Hmm let me see - Tony Bennett. Why?  The things that man could teach me!

Serendipity

‘Life is full of little surprises’

Performed by Christine Mason

Musical Director Matthew Carey

Preview Performance

Date: August 20, 2011

Time: 7.00pm

Venue: La Boheme 36 Grote Street Adelaide

Tickets: All tickets $15 at the door

Lena Nobuhara

Associate Editor, Cabaret Confessional

Find out how YOU can become an exclusive Founding Patron of Cabaret Confessional. 

Subscribe to Cabaret Confessional via email.

‘Like’ Cabaret Confessional on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.