Luba Mason is an American actress, singer, songwriter and dancer. She has starred on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, Off-Broadway, regional theaters in plays and musicals and television and film. As a singer, she has performed in International Jazz and Music Festivals as well as major jazz and music clubs around the country. Mason has trademarked her own musical format called Mixtura, "a blend of different musical currents."

Early life

Mason was born Lubica Anna Christina Gregusova to Rudolph and Ellen GregusNick Orlando, BWW Interviews: "Capeman's Luba Mason", March 8, 2010 a first-generation American of Slovak descent on July 26, 1960. She grew up in Palisades, NY, graduating from Tappan Zee High School in Orangeburg, NY in 1979. At Tappan Zee High School she performed in many of the Drama Department's theatrical productions, including ''Gypsy'' (in the role of Louise), ''Kismet'', ''Dracula'', ''Don't Drink the Water,'' ''Anything Goes'', and ''Cabaret''. She studied classical piano for 12 years starting at the age of 5, trained classically in voice with teachers from The

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...

and Manhattan School of Music, and dance with

Lee Theodore Lee (Becker) Theodore was a Broadway director/choreographer and performer. Born in the 1930s to Russian Jewish immigrants Zena and Genya Becker, and raised in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, she began dance lessons at the age of 4. As a child, s ...

and The

American Dance Machine The American Dance Machine was a theatrical dance company created by Lee Theodore, which played on Broadway at the Century Theatre, opening Jun 14, 1978 and in total running 199 performances. It was duplicated with a second cast for the American D ...

. Mason also received a BFA in Drama from the

NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...

and

Circle in the Square Theatre School Circle in the Square Theatre School is a non-profit, tax exempt drama school associated with Circle in the Square Theatre; it is the only accredited conservatory attached to a Broadway theatre. It offers two 2-year full-time programs: a Profession ...

.Baldwin "Smitty" Smith, Feature Interview Luba Mason, Jazz Monthly, January 2009 After graduating from NYU, she used the name 'Kim Freshwater' professionally for a few years.

Career

Broadway

Mason's extensive Broadway career began in 1987, when she made her debut, billed as 'Kim Freshwater,' as the statuesque, leather-clad nightclub owner in the short-lived musical ''Late Nite Comic''. This was followed by her appearance in ''Sid Caesar & Company'' in 1989. In 1991, she was part of the original Broadway cast of

Tommy Tune Thomas James Tune (born February 28, 1939) is an American actor, dancer, singer, theatre director, producer, and choreographer. Over the course of his career, he has won ten Tony Awards, the National Medal of Arts, and a star on the Hollywood Wal ...

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

-winning ''The Will Rogers Follies'', first as the second Ziegfeld Follies girl from the left, then assuming understudy assignments for the leading lady "Betty Blake" and sassy featured role of "Ziegfeld's Favorite". Next came her break-through comedic role of Hedy LaRue in the first revival of ''

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' may refer to: * ''How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying'' (book), a 1952 book written by Shepherd Mead and the inspiration for the musical of the same name. * ''How to Succeed in Bu ...

'' opposite

Matthew Broderick Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American actor. His roles include the Golden Globe-nominated portrayal of the title character in '' Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986), the voice of adult Simba in Disney's ''The Lion King'' (1994) ...

and directed by

Des McAnuff Desmond Steven McAnuff (born June 19, 1952) is the American-Canadian former artistic director of Canada's Stratford Festival and director of such Broadway musical theatre productions as '' Big River'', '' The Who's Tommy'' and '' Jersey Boys''. ...

. Significant roles followed as the mourning mother Mrs. Kresinsky in Paul Simon's ''

The Capeman ''The Capeman'' is a musical play with music by Paul Simon and book and lyrics by Simon and Derek Walcott based on the life of convicted murderer Salvador Agrón. The play opened at the Marquis Theatre in 1998 to poor reviews and ran for 68 p ...

'', the doomed Lucy Harris in '' Jekyll & Hyde'' replacing

Linda Eder Linda Eder (; born February 3, 1961) is an American singer and actress. She made her Broadway debut in the musical '' Jekyll & Hyde'', originating the role of Lucy Harris, for which she was nominated for the Drama Desk Award. Eder has performe ...

, and later playing the hardened Velma Kelly opposite Brooke Shields' Roxy Hart in ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

'', directed by

Walter Bobbie Walter Bobbie (born November 18, 1945) is an American theatre director, choreographer, and occasional actor and dancer. Bobbie has directed both musicals and plays on Broadway and Off-Broadway, and was the Artistic Director of the New York City ...

. Mason originated the role of Mrs. Burke in the musical ''

Girl From the North Country "Girl from the North Country" (occasionally known as "Girl ''of'' the North Country") is a song written by Bob Dylan. It was recorded at Columbia Recording Studios in New York City in April 1963, and released the following month as the second tra ...

'' written and directed by

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

with music and lyrics by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

on Broadway in 2020. Other roles include Joanna in

Trevor Nunn Sir Trevor Robert Nunn (born 14 January 1940) is a British theatre director. He has been the Artistic Director for the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Royal National Theatre, and, currently, the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. He has directed dramas ...

's American premiere of ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in ...

'' with

Glenn Close Glenn Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. Throughout her career spanning over four decades, Close has garnered numerous accolades, including two Screen Actors Guild Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards ...

at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles in 1993. Mason can be heard on Broadway cast recordings of ''The Will Rogers Follies'', ''How To Succeed in Business...'', ''The Capeman'', ''The Stephen Schwartz Album'' and ''Girl From the North Country''.

Singing

Her experience with Latin music and artists in ''

'' led to a love of Latin rhythms and Brazilian music.Andrew Gans, "Diva Talk: Catching up with Capeman Star Luba Mason", ''Playbill'', August 13, 2010 Mason, blessed with "...a celestial voice" (

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

), was a guest vocalist on

Rubén Blades Rubén Blades Bellido de Luna (born July 16, 1948), known professionally as Rubén Blades (, but in Panama and within the family), is a Panamanian musician, singer, composer, actor, activist, and politician, performing musically most often in th ...

’ double Grammy-winning cd ''Mundo'' in 2002 with her rendition of "Danny Boy". Her first cd ''Collage'' (2004) put a Latin flavor on some familiar standards and pop ballads. Luba Mason has been called "a powerfully emotional song interpreter...a much needed dose of uniqueness in an industry where bland pigeonholing is an art form in itself." (All Music Guide) and "...a voice with a brain behind it" (Time Out New York). Exploring Brazilian music further, she collaborated with Renato Neto and wrote or co-wrote most of the songs for her cool jazz/pop/Brazilian cd ''Krazy Love'' (2009), described as "a voice as big and rich as a star filled sky," (Jazz Times). ''Krazy Love'' also featured jazz artists

Jimmy Haslip James Robert Haslip (born December 31, 1951) is an American bass guitarist who was a founding member of the jazz fusion group the Yellowjackets, which he left in 2012. He was also an early user of the five-string electric bass. Early life and ...

and

Hubert Laws Hubert Laws (born November 10, 1939) is an American flutist and saxophonist with a career spanning over 40 years in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Laws is one of the few classical artists who has also mastered jazz, pop, and rhythm- ...

, and 11 time Grammy winner

.Brian Lush, "Lovely – Luba Mason Talks to Rockwired", 2009 In 2009 Mason, Haslip and Laws were invited to open for

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

, Chucho Valdez and Danilo Perez at the Panama Jazz Festival and later Mason headlined

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

's 40th International Music Festival in 2011 produced by Nederlander Worldwide Entertainment, and Costa Rica's International Music Festival. In the U.S., she has performed shows at LA's famed

Catalina Bar & Grill Catalina Bar & Grill, popularly referred to as Catalina Jazz Club, is a prominent jazz club and restaurant on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, USA, located to the east of Hollywood High School and to the west of the Blessed Sacrament Cat ...

Yoshi's Yoshi's (also known as Yoshi's Jazz Club and Yoshi's Oakland) is a nightclub located in Jack London Square in Oakland, California, United States. The venue originally opened in 1972 as a restaurant in Berkeley, later moving to Claremont Avenu ...

in Oakland, the

Blue Note In jazz and blues, a blue note is a note that—for expressive purposes—is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical c ...

in New York City.,

Blues Alley Blues Alley, founded in 1965, is a jazz nightclub in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Musicians who have performed at Blues Alley include John Abercrombie, Monty Alexander, Mose Allison, Tony Bennett, Rory Block, Ruby Braff, G ...

in DC, World Cafe in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

and the Regattabar in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. She has also headlined at Vibrato and the Cinegrill in L.A., Feinstein's, Birdland, B.B. Kings,

Iridium Iridium is a chemical element with the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density of ...

and the Metropolitan Room in N.Y. Most recently Mason and her husband

performed together at Radio City Music Hall in Paul Simon's sold-out benefit concert for the

Children's Health Fund Children's Health Fund (CHF) is a nonprofit organization that provides health care to children and families on mobile medical clinics throughout the United States. CHF was founded in 1987 by singer/songwriter Paul Simon and pediatrician/advocate ...

's 25th AnniversaryLubamason.com and in 2014 at Jazz at Lincoln Center with

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, teacher, and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has promoted classical and jazz music, often to young audiences. Marsalis has won nine Grammy Award ...

and his band. In 2016 Mason released her third solo album ''Mixtura'', with Rafael Rosa (guitar); Sara Caswell (violin); Felipe Fournier (vibraphone, percussion); Joel Mateo (drums), using a ''mixtura'' of styles. In 2020 she will release ''Triangle'', arranged with just voice, Joe Locke on vibes and James Genus on bass.

Mixtura

Mason has trademarked the name Mixtura – "a blend of different musical currents".Sherry Eaker, Nite Life Exchange
video Interview with Sherry Eaker
May 15, 2012 It is a genre blend of jazz, pop, classical and world music styles. She performs an eclectic selection of material with arrangements in a broad range of musical genres mixed in new and exciting combinations. "Surround yourself with people who are great, and who will push you, and you can challenge yourself and learn," she says.

Other credits

Mason's film and television work includes ''Abuse'', '' The Ten Commandments: The Musical'', '' Law & Order'', '' NYPD Blue'', '' Another World'', '' One Life to Live'', ''

New York Undercover ''New York Undercover'' is an American police drama that aired on the Fox television network from September 8, 1994, to February 11, 1999. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torre ...

'', ''

Now and Again ''Now and Again'' is an American science fiction comedy-drama television series created by Glenn Gordon Caron that aired from September 24, 1999 until May 5, 2000 on CBS. The story revolves around the United States government engineering the ...

'', ''

Raines ''Raines'' is a seven-episode American police procedural television show starring Jeff Goldblum as a police detective who hallucinates the victims whose murders he is investigating. Created by Graham Yost, the series was short-lived, airing ...

'', '' Person of Interest'', and ''

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...

''. Mason's professional career began as a singer/dancer in

. She was a member for five years beginning the day after graduation from

. Lee took Luba under her wing while the company toured Japan, Europe, the U.S. and later a limited engagement at New York's City Center hosted by Dick Cavett. Mason's regional theater work includes ''Lucky in the Rain'' at the Goodspeed Playhouse, ''A Class Act'' at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

, ''Pippin'' at the Freud Playhouse, ''The Ten Commandments'' at the Kodak Theatre, and ''White Noise'' at the Royal George Theater. She performed in the BAM concert version of ''

'' in 2008, and also the Public Theater production of the show at the

Delacorte Theater The Delacorte Theater is a 1,800-seat open-air theater in Central Park, in the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is home to the Public Theater's free Shakespeare in the Park productions. Over five million people have attended more than 15 ...

in 2010. Mason received the

New York Musical Theatre Festival The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) was an annual three-week summer festival that operated from 2004 to 2019. It presented more than 30 new musicals a year in New York City's midtown theater district. More than half were chosen by leading theate ...

Award for Outstanding Individual Performance for her role in the 2013 presentation of ''Julian Po''. In 2015, Mason collaborated in the premiere of '' Pretty Filthy'', a new musical about the "other" Hollywood, produced by the award-winning theater company

The Civilians The Civilians is an investigative theatre company in New York City founded in 2001 by Artistic Director, Steve Cosson. The Civilians artists pursue their inquiries using interviews, community residencies, research, and other methods. Working with ...

, with music by Michael Friedman (''

Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson ''Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson'' is a rock musical with music and lyrics written by Michael Friedman and a book written by its director Alex Timbers. The show is a comedic historical rock musical about the founding of the Democratic Party. It r ...

'') and book by Bess Wohl. Luba received nominations for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for both the

Lucille Lortel Awards The Lucille Lortel Awards recognize excellence in New York Off-Broadway theatre. The Awards are named for Lucille Lortel, an actress and theater producer, and have been awarded since 1986. They are produced by the League of Off-Broadway Theatres ...

and the

Drama Desk Awards The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. Fo ...

for her role. 2015 club dates include

54 Below 54 Below is a cabaret and restaurant in the basement of Studio 54 in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Owned by Broadway producers Steve Baruch, Richard Frankel, Marc Routh and Tom Viertel, 54 Below has hosted shows by such performers as Patt ...

, the

Blue Note Jazz Festival The Blue Note Jazz Festival is an annual jazz festival that takes place in June in various venues across New York City. Hosted by the Blue Note Jazz Club, the festival features performances by renowned jazz artists who have been integral to the Blu ...

at Subrosa NYC, and Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club ''Coca-Cola''. Luba originated the role of Mrs. Burke in the U.S. debut of the musical ''

'' written and directed by

with music and lyrics by

The Public Theater The Public Theater is a New York City arts organization founded as the Shakespeare Workshop in 1954 by Joseph Papp, with the intention of showcasing the works of up-and-coming playwrights and performers.Epstein, Helen. ''Joe Papp: An American Li ...

in 2018. Luba received a nomination for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical for the

for the role.

Personal life

Mason is married to Panamanian singer/actor/politician

, whom she met during the production of ''

''. She has continued to work extensively in

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

donating her time and talents coaching musical theater students, giving master classes in both voice and acting and even assisted the former First Lady of

Vivian Fernández Vivian Fernández de Torrijos (born Vivian del Carmen Fernández Bello on March 25, 1966) became the First Lady of Panama on September 1, 2004, when she married President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * Preside ...

de Torrijos in working with women in prison.Martitza Bonilla, "Las Historias que hay detrás de los muros llegan al teatro" Panama America March 6, 2006

References

External links

Official web siteAll Music Guide listing
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mason, Luba 1960 births Living people Tisch School of the Arts alumni Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni American musical theatre actresses Actresses from New York (state) 21st-century American actresses