Back On Broadway: Luba Mason Talks Playing the Drums, Conor McPherson & More About GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

BroadwayWorld's new interview series Back on Broadway is taking readers on the exciting journey of Broadway's return to the stage! Featuring interviews with cast and creative team members of Broadway's returning shows, Back on Broadway will highlight how members of Broadway shows are preparing for live performances, what they've learned from the last year and half, what is most exciting to them about Broadway's long-awaited return, and much more!

Next up in the series is Luba Mason, returning to her role as Mrs. Burke in Girl from the North Country.

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How did it feel getting back into the rehearsal room after so much time?

We're very fortunate that we didn't step back into the room, we stepped back onto our stage at the theatre, with our props and our furniture and everything all there. And we're at the beautiful Belasco Theatre, it's a stunning theatre, so, it felt great walking into the space.

You learned to play the drums for this show, did you play over quarantine? How has it been getting back into that?

No, nothing! I don't have a drum kit at home. I was a little nervous about it, but this is our third time around, as far as picking up the show and putting it back on again. We were at The Public downtown, and then we waited a year and then we got on Broadway in March of 2020, and now we've waited another year and a half, so I've been through this pattern before, and the drumming, really, I hate to say it, but it's like getting back on a bicycle. It came back very naturally, muscle memory I think took over.

And our director just landed, he's from Ireland, he's also the writer of the show, Conor McPherson, so we had our first day with him, which was so great! He's so loved by this company, he's just terrific. He's really special. And that's another thing that I've never really experienced in a show before, is our director is also the writer of the show. So, the process is, I think, that much more smooth because if something's not working he can just change the lines and it's not a big deal! It's his piece!

Is there a moment in the show that you're most looking forward to getting to perform when the show reopens?

You know, I have to say, I do love the number that I play on the drum kit when I sing lead vocal, it's the Bob Dylan Song 'Sweetheart Like You', and I kind of tweaked it myself. I thought about the lyrics more, and there's a few different things that I want to try out, so I'm looking forward to doing that in front of Conor now, seeing if he gives me the thumbs up or thumbs down with trying something new or different! And he's generally pretty open to that kind of stuff! But, I'm looking forward to presenting that to him, trying a few new little things.

What would you like to say to people who have been eagerly awaiting the show's return?

I'm really looking forward to people coming and seeing this show because it is so timely. It's a show about survival and resilience and people's struggles through a really tough time in history. Our show takes place during the Depression, but this is all very similar and applies to the world having gone through a pandemic, and continues to. It's a beautiful show that way, it reflects how community can be a great support. And the character that I play, I play a rich southern woman, who has a husband and an autistic 30 year-old son, and we're carrying a secret, we're running away, and we're the only characters in the show who actually had wealth at one time in their lives, and they lost it all in the Depression. So, we're at the other end of the spectrum of having no money, and looking for our next meal. We end the show with a song called 'Pressing On', and it is just about how regardless of what happens, life is still in front of us, we've just got to move on, we've just got to continue, and keep pressing on. The light at the end of the tunnel is there.

What have you learned from the past year and a half that you'll take with you going forward?

We are all in the same boat, this pandemic did not exclude class or race or economic levels, it hit everyone. And I think when the world works together, we can all survive, we can survive some hardships that are put in front of us. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, there is something at the other end, and life is not always going to be daisies and sunshine, we have strength. It's about having that strength and finding that strength within you. Moving forward and getting through hardships, because things can turn out well.