By Andrew Gans
11 Nov 2005

The first half also included Eder's takes on "Me and My Shadow," "You Go to My Head" and "The Rainbow's End," a haunting "It Never Was You" and an infectious medley of "The Boy Next Door" and "You Made Me Love You." She then poured out her voice in "By Myself," which closed the first act wonderfully.

Eder began the evening's second half with a rousing medley of "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" and "The Trolley Song" and then spoke about a recent visit to the London Palladium — where Garland also triumphed — led by an elderly fan of the late stage and screen star. "It's All for You," "I'd Like to Hate Myself in the Morning" and a sexy "Do It Again" preceded a touch of torch: a great combination of "Stormy Weather" and "The Man That Got Away." "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows" led into an understated "Over the Rainbow" that ended on a dreamy high note, but it was a high voltage pairing of "San Francisco" and "Swanee" that brought the crowd to its feet.

Eder's encores continued the excitement: her signature tune "Vienna," which was one of the evening's highlights, and a powerful "Don't Rain on My Parade" were each followed by standing ovations, and another Garland favorite, "Look for the Silver Lining," concluded the evening on an upbeat note. (Eder was backed by a full orchestra, expertly led by musical director John Oddo.)

KAREN MASON at the Encore

Great songs + great arrangements + a great singer = a great evening. It's not the most complicated equation, yet it's one that is often not followed. So, hooray for Karen Mason — and longtime musical director Christopher Denny — for consistently offering well structured, wonderfully performed evenings of song.

I had the chance to catch Mason's newest program, The Sweetest of Nights, last Saturday night at the Encore, the new cabaret on West 47th Street. Looking and sounding better than ever, Mason opened her hour-long set with a terrific rendition of West Side Story's "Something's Coming" before launching into a belty version of Lerner and Loewe's "Almost Like Being in Love." The singing actress explained that the evening would feature songs from all of her solo CDs (including her newest, "The Sweetest of Nights"), joking the concert would be the "boxed set" of her recordings.

As a cabaret/concert performer Mason is enjoyable for many reasons: She seems to relish performing: Her joy while delivering "Taking a Chance on Love," which began as a duet for singer and bass and then built to an exciting climax, was palpable. She smartly crafts her concerts to include songs she is known for while also introducing little-known or brand-new works. She also takes chances vocally, belting throughout her range, which makes for exciting listening. And, she is human: when a cell phone rang during the middle of a song, she simply stopped and asked to start again. She wasn't annoyed but she clearly wanted the audience to hear, without interruption, "Cold Enough to Cross," a new song penned by husband Paul Rolnick and Henry Cory. Add a great sense of humor to the mix, and it's clear why Mason's career continues to thrive in clubs and stages across the country.

Other highlights of the evening included the upbeat, humorous Cy Coleman-Carolyn Leigh ditty, "When in Rome"; fiery renditions of "Maybe This Time" and "The Winner Takes It All" (the latter built to a full-voiced finale); a great rendition of Irving Berlin's "Let's Face the Music and Dance"; and a beautiful medley of Bock and Harnick's "Now I Have Everything" and Kander and Ebb's "Married," which may have been the most moving offering of the night.

Mason returned for an encore of her new CD's title song, Shelly Markham and Judith Viorst's "The Sweetest of Nights and the Finest of Days," a lovely tune and an apt description of the evening itself.

DIVA TIDBITS
Here she is, world! Tony Award winner Patti LuPone, who is currently starring in the acclaimed Broadway revival of Sweeney Todd, will head the cast of another Stephen Sondheim musical this summer at Chicago's Ravinia Festival. LuPone will join the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for three performances of the classic Sondheim-Jule Styne-Arthur Laurents musical Gypsy Aug. 11-13. The Tony and Olivier Award-winning actress will star as the indomitable Mama Rose. Lonny Price will direct the Chicago production, and Paul Gemignani will conduct the famed orchestra. No other casting has been announced. Gypsy will, amazingly, be LuPone's sixth musical at the Ravinia; her previous outings include Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, Sunday in the Park with George, Passion and Anyone Can Whistle. Gypsy tickets can now be reserved by calling (847) 266-5100 or by visiting www.ravinia.org.

In April 2005 Maureen McGovern, who is currently starring in the tour of Little Women, received a thunderous ovation for her performance of David Friedman's "Help Is On the Way" at the annual Easter Bonnet Competition. McGovern has since recorded the wonderful tune, which was originally penned for the late Nancy LaMott, and the single CD benefits both Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and McGovern's own "Works of Heart" Foundation for Music and Healing. To purchase the beautiful recording, Click Here.

Well, that's all for now. Happy diva-watching! E-mail questions or comments to agans@playbill.com.