SAN FRANCISCO, April 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acclaimed Broadway star Karen Mason will bring her celebrated solo show, “Broadway Baby,” to San Francisco’s Feinstein’s at the Nikko on Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25. Tickets are available here. Supporting the Bay Area and the broader music community, Mason will make a special guest appearance at a benefit gala for the Amateur Music Network (AMN) on April 23 in San Francisco.
Mason is riding a wave of milestone moments. She recently celebrated her 75th birthday with a sold-out performance at New York’s legendary Birdland Jazz Club. Mason has also announced a major new theatrical project, “Unfinished Business,” a play she has written and will star in that tells the story of her transformative relationship with her late music director and friend Brian Lasser.
“Broadway Baby” is a crowd-pleasing, story-driven evening that takes audiences on a musical journey through Mason’s remarkable career spanning eight Broadway shows, with her portraying some of the most iconic roles in American musical theater. The show features songs from Mamma Mia!, in which Mason originated the role of Tanya in the Broadway company; Sunset Boulevard, where she served as standby for Norma Desmond, covering Glenn Close, Betty Buckley and Elaine Paige for more than 1,000 performances; and beloved standards including “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” “A Whole New World” and a mashup of the Beatles’ “Help!” and Sondheim’s “Being Alive” — reimagined in the kind of unexpected, emotionally resonant arrangements that have become Mason’s signature.
“Broadway Baby” features songs wrapped in personal reflection, with compelling stories behind the roles, the moments that shaped a career and the mentors and collaborators who made the music possible. Mason premiered the show in Puerto Vallarta in January 2025 and has since performed it to enthusiastic audiences across the country. The show is directed by Barry Kleinbort, with musical direction by Christopher Denny, who performs alongside Mason.
“San Francisco has always held a very special place in my heart and career,” said Mason. “I first fell in love with this city when I toured here in the late 1980s in ‘Starting Here, Starting Now’ with Faith Prince and Brent Barrett. I mostly remember eating a lot of Ghirardelli chocolate! A few years later I started performing at the Plush Room and I’ve been coming back ever since to Bay Area Cabaret, the Razz Room, Live at the Orinda and Feinstein’s. San Francisco audiences have a sophistication and a genuine passion for cabaret and musical theatre that is just extraordinary. I am so proud of how this community supports the art form. I cannot wait to be back.”
One of San Francisco’s premier live music venues, Feinstein’s at the Nikko presents world-class talent in an intimate, cabaret-style setting just steps from Union Square.
The AMN is a San Francisco-based nonprofit that connects adult amateur musicians of all skill levels with professional musicians. It provides workshops that foster joy through playing and singing, with a strong focus on inclusivity across all genres, ages and backgrounds.
About Karen Mason
Karen Mason has starred on Broadway, off-Broadway, television and recordings and has been hailed by critics as one of New York’s finest musical storytellers. On Broadway, she originated the role of Tanya in ABBA’s Mamma Mia! (earning a Drama Desk Award nomination); starred as the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland; and delivered critically acclaimed performances as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard in both Los Angeles and New York. Her other Broadway credits include Hairspray, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, Torch Song Trilogy and Play Me a Country Song. Off-Broadway, she won the Outer Critics Circle Award for And the World Goes ‘Round and earned a Drama Desk nomination for Carnival. On tour, she starred as Madame Giry in the North American premiere of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Love Never Dies. On television, she appeared as Mrs. Marsh in Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Halston and on Law & Order: SVU.
The recipient of the 2019 Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) Lifetime Achievement Award, Mason is a 14-time MAC Award winner including six consecutive wins for Major Female Vocalist of the Year. She holds three Bistro Awards and the 2006 Nightlife Award for Major Female Vocalist. Mason has released nine acclaimed solo albums, most recently “And All That Jazz” (2024), a celebration of the songs of Kander & Ebb with liner notes by John Kander, voted Broadway World’s Best Commercial Recording of 2024. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center and shared the stage with luminaries including Luciano Pavarotti, Liza Minnelli, Rosemary Clooney and Michael Feinstein. For more information, visit karenmason.com.
Event Details:
Karen Mason: “Broadway Baby”
Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 | Doors: 7 p.m.
Feinstein’s at the Nikko | 222 Mason St., San Francisco, CA 94102
Tickets: feinsteinssf.com/events
Media Contact:
For interviews with Karen Mason, photos and videos, please contact:
Makenzi Jordan Rodriguez
Landis Communications Inc.
makenzi@landispr.com | 424.239.8891
