Tom Mason: Press

http://www.lonesomehighway.com/music-reviews/
“a great album from start to finish” “a joyous album in the same way that the Pogues music is with its sense of community and the living of life to the full”. “as much fun as it is musically compelling”
Steve Rapid, lonesomehighway.com (Dublin, Ireland)

“Tom Mason isn't just a songwriter, singer and guitar virtuoso, he's a terrific entertainer.”
“his pirate songs have choruses that the audience can bellow along with, the best way to enjoy pirate music”
John Baur, co-creator of “Talk Like a Pirate Day”

“I thoroughly enjoyed it. ...the album succeeds in setting a buccaneer mood for a party, voyage or road trip by evoking the romanticized life of the Golden Age of Pirates. Refill your tankard and enjoy the passage, me hearties.”
Linda Collison, fyddeye.com

Tom Mason On Pirates And Steering The Blue Buccaneer
SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 AT 06:37AM


Tom, you had a track on your last album Pirate Song so I assume that the theme was something that you wanted to explore further and that you have an interest in.

I wrote Pirate Song after a few tours of the Virgin Islands with Last Train Home and a band called the Big Happy. I thought I needed a pirate song, and so I found some glossaries on the internet, including talklikeapirate.com, and wrote a drinking song using all the terminology I could find.

Not long after I wrote it I was cast in the national tour of the Broadway musical Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash. The sixteen member cast, a mixture of musicians and actors, would gather in hotel rooms for late night, post-show jam sessions, and Pirate Song was always a big hit. My cast-mates convinced me to start writing a musical, and I began devouring all the books and source material I could find. As I wrote more and more songs for the project I realized how much fun they’d be to play with a band.

These are all original songs that you have written for the album. Was it difficult to write a set of songs around the one topic and what did you use as a reference source for the music?

It’s such a rich era that I even wrote some songs that were left off the album. It may seem like a stretch, but looking at the ever-widening gap between rich and poor in modern America, the project has given me somewhere to focus my sense of frustration. The pirates may have been a cruel and ruthless lot, but they rose out of dire economic circumstances with almost no hope of advancement.

As far as the sources go, I have to confess my retention skills are not great when I’m reading, (the only thing I remember from a year of taking Chinese is my translation of James Brown’s I Feel Good!) but certain passages in the books I read spark ideas for songs. Sheriff’s Dance was inspired by The Pirate Hunter, a book about Captain Kidd, and The Empire of Blue Water, about Henry Morgan with great descriptions of the cruelty of the press gangs, inspired In The Service of the King. Blackbeard has provided me with a lot, especially in Decked Out Like the Devil; his modus operandi was all showbiz, scaring his victims by weaving lit fuses into his hair, to the point that they would surrender with little or no fight. I now have a shelf filled with books about pirates.

Musically there were a number of major influences on the CD. On a trip to Australia in 2005 I saw and befriended The Bushwackers, the legendary 40 year old Aussie band that often draws comparisons to Fairport Convention and the Pogues. I was blown away by how much fun they were, and loved their songs about the bushranger Ned Kelly and about Australian history. Then while on the road with Ring of Fire I started learning Irish fiddle tunes on the mandolin, songs I’d first played in an old-time band in Chicago years ago. Those songs and the Bushwackers material colored some of The Blue Buccaneer. I also didn’t shy away from afro-cuban rhythms (a good part of the history of pirates took place in the Caribbean, after all.) I’m naturally more of a blues player, so when the material veered into that territory I played up what the “talk like a pirate” creators call my “Pirattitude”.

The album comes across as a lot of fun to have made, was that the case?

Without a doubt! There was Paul Griffith on drums, Lorne Rall on bass and myself and we went into Thomm Jutz’s studio, he’s been guitarist for Mary Gauthier, Nancy Griffith and others. I’d given them rough demos and charts and I gave them free reign. I was thrilled at how much variety they gave to the grooves. (At some point I’ve learned not to try to control sessions, and that anything the musicians I work with come up with is far better than I could have dreamed of.) After laying the basics I took the tracks home and started inviting my friends over to play. It all took place during the Christmas/New Year’s vacation, typically a very quiet time around Nashville,but there was a Jolly Roger flying just off the Cumberland River where a rowdy bunch of rovers were singing and playing.

I love it when musicians step out of their usual realm and play a style outside of what they’re known for. I had Peter Hyrka, Nashville’s Stephane Grappelli, playing Irish fiddle lines before his one-take nailing of My Little Pearl, and much of the back-up vocals were done by Phil Lee, Eric Brace, and Peter Cooper, Americana artists I play guitar for frequently. If it hadn’t been recorded over the holidays I would have had even more denizens of East Nashville coming by. My whole approach to the band is, much like the pirate ships themselves, to recruit on the spot.

You work both as a solo artist performing your own work and a sideman for others and have played with Phil Lee for a long time. Do you get a different degree of satisfaction from each role?

I do. When I’m performing my own material the greatest challenge is to get the mind to stop, much like an actor, because self-consciousness is the enemy of good performances. I don’t want to stop doing either because they feed each other. It’s easy to be a sideman when I believe in the work and the showmanship, which is the case with Phil. I also generally do my own set with Phil, and Eric Brace of Last Train Home has me do some songs every show, so I’m reaching people I may not reach on my own. I’m also able to see the perspective of both sidemen and band leaders, which eliminates a lot of frustration.

Having done some acting you seem well able to bring some sense of theatre to your performance. Would you like to explore the link between music and theatre further?

Very much so. I try to bring theatricality to all my shows, and I think that’s a very important aspect these days. With the proliferation of youtube and instant downloads, I think live performance is our major currency, and feel more akin to traveling vaudevillians than the rock bands I grew up with. I’m also going to finish the pirate musical, and the touring I do with The Blue Buccaneers gives me a chance to do more research.

You live in Nashville and often play in Austin but how is it for a professional musician outside those particular pockets of musical interest?

It’s especially great to tour to some of the smaller cities, where we often get a good response because they’re hungrier for music. I actually haven’t been booking many shows in Nashville the past few years, and am more apt to grab my friends, jump in the van, and go play in another town. I love Nashville because the level of musicianship and songwriting is so high, but other scenes have us beat as far as daring and originality go.

Have you any ambition to do another themed album or will you just let new songs dictate the direction of the music?

I do want to release an album of my Nashville songs, songs that I’ve written and co-written over my years here that are more firmly entrenched in the Americana and country genres. I’ve also always intended to put out an all electric record in the style of Tom Verlaine and Television, but I think that one will be put off forever! At the moment I’m still writing more songs for the musical.

Although you have been associated with and play roots music the scope of what you do and play is much wider do you put any restrictions on the music you make?

I don’t put any restrictions on my music, and my favorite music is when different styles come together. I can understand the fervor of purists and revivalists, but I’d rather hear something I’d never heard before, something with a little mystery. I used to hang art in museums, and a painter friend told me he never painted representational work because there was no need with photography, and I like that attitude. I place myself in the Americana field out of some ideal that I think Americana should represent, a melting pot of influences.

Have been a full-time musician/actor for some time how difficult is it for you to make a living these days?

Damn near impossible! As they say, it’s either snack or famine. Something usually trickles in just in the nick of time, though. The carrot on my stick is the dreadful jobs I’ve done in the past, ever reminding me to keep working!

As musician who have been your lasting influences?

There are so many but I can point out some characteristics that have influenced me. The Band created a nostalgia for a time that never quite was, which drew me in. Dylan and Waits transported me, and I liked that. As a musician I started out playing the blues. I had a piano teacher who figured out that I would practice more if she taught me boogie woogie. A lot of the artists whose writing I liked were into the Harry Smith Anthology, and when I was a child my family would sing folk songs.

You have played in Europe, how do you find the different audiences tend to respond to your music as there is a sense that the songs on The Blue Buccaneer would be probably be appreciated over here?

I’d love to tour with the Blue Buccaneers in Europe, and would especially like to recruit players over there to do shows with us. I’m working on coming over in the summer of 2012 if not sooner. It’s such a joy to play with new people, and I never shy away from it. Paul Griffith, Lorne Rall, and I did a tour of the Virgin Islands last month and were joined by a pair of seventy year old percussionists who took the groove to a whole new level. I hope to get some Irish and Scottish musicians to play these tunes when I’m over there, sort of my version of the Rolling Stones jamming with Muddy Waters.

Interview by Stephen Rapid, photograph by Ronnie Norton

THIS MONTH’S DOWNLOADING PROSPECTS

Alchemy, Tom Mason (tommason.net)--Mason’s best known as a guitarist but the best songs here are about other kinds of musicians:  “Little Walter,” about the greatest blues harpist of ‘em all and “Chano Pozo’s Shoes,” about the drummer who showed Dizzy Gillespie, then everybody else, the road from bebop to Latin jazz. The rest of it’s focused on sleight of hand, seen sometimes in sinister terms (“Conjuring”) sometimes riotously (“The World Is Drunk,” which is hardly an explanation), and sometimes just as an excuse for tale-spinning, at which Mason’s as talented as he is at fret-work.

Tom Mason Alchemy Gas Station Music An all-round musician, singer and songwriter Tom Mason has been a part of the East Nashville musical community for a long time now, either in his own right or as a valuable sideman. His latest album has little to do with country music but a lot to do with great playing and striking songwriting. It covers many bases that touch on numerous sources that he makes his own from the opening Conjuring which features a great vocal contribution from Sheila Lawrence, who along with Pru Clearwater add strong vocal contributions throughout. Other Nashville notables involved include ex-Derailer Mark Horn, David Jacques, Jen Gunderman, Joey Spampinato and Billy Block amongst others. The eclectic nature of the songs in this cases make the album more interesting rather than having any lack of focus. It is all held together by Mason’s defined and dignified vocals and playing. The songs touch on blues, vaudeville, gypsy music and range from songs like percus- sive Chano Pozo’s Shoes, a somewhat Waitsian The World Is Drunk, the sea shanty Pirate Song and the story telling of The Amazing Lorenzo which would actually makes sense to Chris De Burgh fans. This is a delight of Americana music and all the influences that were awash in that country a century or so ago.Tom Mason makes musical alchemy that delivers it’s magic and deserves a wider audience for its musical wonders. www.tommason.net

Tom Mason Actor and musician (or musician and actor), seems like an all-round good guy, living life to the full and keen for us to have some fun with him. He is one very fine guitar player and has got a cohort of familiar Nashville names to help out here - Jen Gunderman, Dave Jacques and Mark Horn of The Derailers amongst them. A joyful melange of American sounds from the modern country of I Surrender (as in, I could imagine Mary Chapin Carpenter singing it)to the Cuban rhythms of Chano Pozo's Shoes, Alchemy displays a familiarity with and love for all the rich veins of twentieth century American music.

Lyrically, there's a lot of unembarrassed hokum here, from the faux-voodoo of Conjurin' to the fakest of fake shiver-me-timbers accents for Pirate Song. This has a cheerful chorus of 'We'll all go down, we'll all go down with the ship' and I saw Tom Mason perform this when I was in the company of a man whose boat had indeed sunk beneath him. It's a measure of the songs pantomine qualities that my companion just grimaced a little, then grinned. There's a loose theme of magic, myth and mystery going on here but Little Walter and Chano Pozo's Shoes are testament to Tom Mason's deep love affair wth music. Mostly it's all about as serious as Kirsty McColl's 'In These Shoes?'.

What is unusual for an Americana record is that songs are frequently extended with long instrumental developments that are absolutely the best reason for getting hold of this cd. Always interesting and coloured by some lovely guitar work from the man himself there is never a sense of these passages rambling on aimlessly but, rather, a strong sense of the thread of the song hanging in the air with all the musicians dancing around it before coming back to the original tune. The Clown falls Down and Stealing Stars are both particularly fine examples of what these guys can do and make you feel that an evening listening to them play would be an evening well spent.
John Davy

This Magic Moment, (06/10/10)

Somewhere in the twilight zone between Tom Waits and Kid Creole & his Coconuts there's lots of room for rocky, bluesy Vaudevillians like Nashville's Tom Mason. Mason is a raconteur in the '30s cabaret tradition, where Brecht & Weill met the Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey. Absolutely not your average Nashville singer/songwriter, but rather one who could have penned "Sympathy for the Devil," that's close to his style of epic storytelling. The liner notes of the CD proclaim: "13 extraordinary tales of conjurors, healers, virtuosos, pirates, lovers, and sojourners! Marvel at the mysterious melodies performed by the most amazing musicians in the world!"
Every time I've seen Tom wandering somewhere in my hometown he'd be showing another side. I remember him playing trombone with Peter Cooper at the Tomato Fest in 2007. He's been on tour in Europe as lead guitarist for Phil Lee, a position he also filled in Eric Brace's band Last Train Home. He toured as an actor with the Broadway show "Ring Of Fire," and I missed him by a hair when he starred in a vaudeville version of Shakespeare's "Richard III" in front of the Parthenon in our Centennial Park.

I've been taking along Alchemy on my recent drives through monsoon-ed middle Tennessee, and consequently I lost the beautiful CD booklet in some coffee-shop down the road. Please bring it back! It contains all lyrics, from which I anticipated to quote liberally. Tom's beautiful Aussie wife Pru Clearwater (what a handsome couple!) designed a bunch of great mysterious pictures featuring Tom and characters from the album, like Dizzy Gillespie's percussionist Chano Pozo who got killed when he failed to settle a drug debt despite the cash in the shoes he died in; a gypsy woman wreaking havoc on rural Mississippi river towns; a Shakespearean actor whose love for the bottle leads to a gig as a sad clown; and the CD's central figure Amazing Lorenzo, a magician whose beautiful assistant is made to disappear but who he fails to bring back into reality. I take it that his "Stealing Stars from the Sky" is dedicated to Tom's very princes Pru.

Where Berthold Brecht introduces "Pirate Jenny" in the "Dreigroschenoper (the Three Penny Opera)," Tom presents his own buccaneer highlight, "Pirate Song." Jen Gunderman's accordion drowns seamlessly in the Jacques Brel chansonian autumn. Well, Tom's songs may not be as mesmerizing as the three-minute-jewels of Jacques Brell or as fired up by Scott Walker or Dusty Springfield, but seldom have I heard an album that entertains as much as Dylan's Broadway-musical "The Times They Are-A Changing." Great tunes for dancing, too. Maybe Barry Manilow should turn to "Alchemy" to find the song he never found to follow "Copacobana." Come on, Deborah, let's dance the mambo in "Chano Pozo's Shoes."

The "Alchemist" himself plays all guitar parts: the dobro, the trombone, the mandolin and the simpler accordion parts. The more elaborate accordion parts are by Jen Gunderma who played with the Jayhawks and teaches Rock and Roll History at Vanderbilt University. The cast also includes drummer Craig Wright(Steve Earle) and bassists David Jacques (John Prine) and Joey Spampinato of NRBQ fame. There's also a few songs with The Big Happy, a band I first saw at my first July 4 celebration, consisting of two couples: Billy and Jill Block and Pru and Tom.

I don't know how to sell this album to y'all, but play it once, and you keep playing it! Saturday night's going to be a great night out. We're going to see El Mason play most of his album at the Rutledge. And then we'll play the album again on the way home.

PS: Saturday night I went to see Tom perform the album Alchemy live at the Rutledge in Nashville. A great show, very entertaining, from the first note till the encore. Tom had a great time, and so did we. When I left, I finally realized what I didn't like in my review of the album. I missed the word "brilliant." Tom's show was brilliant, and so is his album. Check it out. This guy is different, entertaining AND brilliant!

On the back side of the liner notes, "Renaissance Man" Tom Mason presents the following description of A Slide Guitar Christmas: "Sizzling side guitar! Exotic rhythms! Dazzling dobro!" That about says it all--Tom Mason breaks loose in mighty fine fashion on this instrumental holiday album. Very, very nice.

The holiday music market already includes oodles of acoustic guitar instrumentals, but Mason's release is different. Not the quiet reverence of acoustic or classical guitar, Mason wails on slide guitar and dobro, which are the stars here. The accompanying percussive touches and bass flourishes provide great support and creative context. These ten tracks are consistently lovely; the music is vibrant, but relatively low-key.

A Slide Guitar Christmas opens with a syncopated, salsa-licious We Three Kings. It was the perfect eye-opener on a cold Halloween night--energizing, but nothing brutal. Not surprisingly, Drummer Boy is drum intensive; the track includes a bluesy edge and sweetly shifting beats. In fact, most tracks present the unexpected, often flexibly flying around a Latin Christmas tree, and the exotic vibes are naturally addictive. For me, less is sometimes more, making Mason's minimalist Joy to the World a gentle, moving delight, and the brief, bongo-fied Silent Night equally fun.

Everything on A Slide Guitar Christmas should put a smile on the face of most holiday music aficionados. Unfortunately, the smiling fades after only 35 minutes, when the "sizzling slide guitar," "exotic rhythms," and "dazzling dobro" fade away. Even so, Tom Mason's instrumental interpretations are exquisite for the duration.

--Carol Swanson
(Reviewed in 2009)

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From the liner notes:

Recorded at Blue Bourbon Music, Nashville, by Jerry Hager

Tom Mason: Dobro, Guitar, Accordion & Trombone
Craig Wright: Drums & Percussion
Matt Jackson: Electric & Acoustic Bass
Lonesome Bob: Bongos on "Silent Night"

"What Child Is This?" and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas" recorded by Eliot Houser & Craig Wright, with
Tom Comet: Bass
Kami Lyle: Trumpet
Joey Spampinato: Saxamaphone

Top Pick: "Tom Mason Blends Blues, Theater for Stellar Show”
“Tom Mason plays terrific guitar and bad trombone, and manages to make each of those things pretty entertaining.
... a show that should combine his flair for theater and his love of bluesy roots music. He’ll play slide guitar, sing plenty of well-written songs, change costumes at some point in the evening, and, yep, growl away on that trombone.”

“Red-hot resonator and slide guitar expert and Americana songwriter”
“Mason is noted not only for his impressive and versatile guitar playing but for his gritty songwriting and amiable stage presence”.

Tom Mason, Actor, Musician, Friend

Tom Mason is an amazing musician, song-writer, and actor. Growing up in the Twin Cities Mason found an early love for music and theater. Watching his brothers and grandfather play guitar lit the flame early for Mason. He received a banjo at age seven, but by age eleven he was playing guitar in open tunings with a wine bottle neck. He practiced everyday and decided early in life that he wanted to be a performer. At this time the acting bug bit Mason and he started taking acting classes. He has continued to act in plays throughout the country. Vaudeville and old Marx Brothers movies made a huge impression on Mason and he has continued to play the crafts and antics of these performers in his own shows and music.

At age 20 Mason joined an Elvis Impersonator and hit the road in the “tundra” of Minnesota, the Dakota’s, Wisconsin, and Iowa playing guitar and keyboards. Mason arrived in Nashville in 1993. Mason soon established himself as a favorite in nightclubs and studios, he’s also become a sought after actor in theater and film. With his new CD Alchemy, Tom Mason draws on all his talents to create a work filled with magic. Alchemy (see review this issue) is a wonderful collection of songs done in different styles than most Americana CD’s. The music on this CD is a taste of the world that Tom Mason lives. There are blues, gypsy, Cuban, and Americana songs here. My favorites are Chano Pozo’s Shoes, The World is Drunk, The Pirate Song, and Ramblin. All different, all Tom Mason.

Mason is an electrifying performer who never disappoints the crowd. His song renditions and stage theatrics brings the audience to life. Mason is very animated when he performs bringing the audience into the song. His time spent on the theater stages of the world shows through in his music especially in The Pirate Song. Many times a year Mason tours with Phil Lee where the pair of them has the best comedy act going today. Their teamwork in bringing the audience to its knees is legendary. Mason’s sideman work includes playing lead guitar for Eric Brace & Last Train Home, Supe Granda (of The Ozark Mountain Daredevils), and his wife, Australian Pru Clearwater.

A fiery guitar picker Mason can chicken pick with the best of them. His hands make the guitar an extension where his music can flow through the strings. His slide playing is incredible, as I dare say one of the best slide players playing today.

As a solo artist, Mason has released three CD’s “Where Shadows Fall”, the instrumental “A Slide Guitar Christmas”, and the brand new "Alchemy". He has also released numerous collaborative CD’s, including two by the Big Happy on Western Beat Records and one with Swampgrass, and has been featured on such compilations as “For Kate’s Sake: An Americana Christmas”, “The Other Side: Music of East Nashville”, and “Yuletide from the Other Side.

Mason is already planning his next artistic endeavor. He is currently working on a couple of theater shows that include a stage show for Alchemy, a musical, and recording the songs for the musical. He plans to keep touring with Phil Lee and Last Train Home (must see shows). He also plans to tour in the spring supporting his own music and CD’s. Mason is still very involved with acting. He was in the stage presentation of “Ring of Fire” in Los Angeles this past summer and plans to continue that and other plays soon.

Tom Mason is a true renaissance man. He sings, he acts, he writes, and he plays guitar like no other. He is one of the kindest friendliest people you will ever meet. His laughter is infectious as is his smile. Whether on stage acting or performing music Tom Mason is one performer you do not want to miss! Tom Mason is also a great friend! Joyce and I are very fortunate to call Tom our friend. He makes us laugh and forget our troubles whenever we see him perform or just hang out. Please check out Tom’s website at www.tommason.net and his myspace page at www.myspace.com/tommasonmusic where you can check out his music. Watch for him coming to your town with his magical display of talent and wonderment!

Ring of Fire

Reviewed by Eric Marchese
JUNE 10, 2009

PHOTO CREDIT
Michael Lamont
Stage biographies are often tripped up when the actor portraying the celebrity bears little resemblance to that person or, worse, attempts an impersonation that falls flat. Created by Richard Maltby Jr. and William Meade, this revue about the life and music of Johnny Cash neatly sidesteps that problem by using a variety of actors, and even some of the onstage musicians, to portray the Man in Black for nearly three dozen of his songs. By doing this, the show gets at the core of Cash's being and his artistry as a performer. Bits and pieces of Cash's life are dribbled out in brief accessible doses by the 10-person cast (four singer-actors and six musicians), beginning with Cash's birth in Arkansas and culminating in his rise to stardom, romance with June Carter, and death at his lakeside home in Tennessee. Evocative black-and-white photos offer scenic vistas and portraits of Cash at key points in his life.

As a performer, director Jason Edwards' appearance and style most closely approximate Cash's charisma. Edwards is frequently tapped to recount parts of the singer's biography, as in the "Man in Black" segment where Cash describes why he wears black before singing the iconic number. Edwards is most frequently paired with Michelle Duffy, who lends legato phrasing and an expressive tone to "All Over Again." Troy Burgess' emotional tenor captures the lonesome feelings of the introspective "Sunday Morning Coming Down," and Christa Jackson adds a Southern twang and saucy demeanor to "Cry Cry Cry."

Tom Mason's work on guitar and harmonica, Brantley Kearns' fiddle work, and John W. Marshall's percussive style of bass contribute mightily. Some of the best set pieces involve all 10 performers, such as a hoedown-style treatment of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." Jeff Lisenby's music direction and Jane Lanier's musical staging enliven Lisenby and Steven Bishop's inventive orchestrations, and John Iacovelli's versatile set encompasses a backwoods shack, a prison, and the Grand Ole Opry. This is a superb show not just for Cash's fans but for all fans of the genre and anyone who loves music.

Presented by McCoy Rigby Entertainment at La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. June 5–21. Tue.–Thu., 7:30 p.m.; Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m. (562) 944-9801. www.lamiradatheatre.com.

RICHARD THE THIRD, NASHVILLE SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL
Shakespearean shtick

Over at Belmont University's Troutt Theater, Nashville Shakespeare Festival performs its winter production, Denice Hicks' imaginative adaptation of Richard the Third, which pretty much blows the lid off typical expectations. What is usually an infamously dour piece of endless betrayal and murder is duly transmogrified into a slice of early 20th century vaudeville, replete with tinkling piano accompaniment, groaning one-liners (rimshot!), arch physical comedy, a little tap-dancing and juggling, delightful costumes (including derbies, skimmers and top hats) and an energetic and versatile cast of 17 who play the shtick to the hilt and make it work throughout.

NSF newcomer Navada Shane Morgan is impishly good as the humpbacked, limping Richard, destroying every human life in his path on his way to the top of the British royal line. While the Bard's dialogue gets a face-lift from Hicks that reveals cheesy (and often mirthful) melodrama, we still get the complicated story of high-level politics, with Richard's snide asides inspiring the rest of the dramatis personae to their own level of wisecracking.

Instead of a serious soliloquy, Brenda Sparks' Cassandra-like Queen Margaret delivers a tough, minor-key blues. Meanwhile, Nan Gurley, as confused Queen Elizabeth, belts out Irving Berlin's "Show Business." Then Phil Perry's ill-fated Hastings enacts a nearly literal head-on-a-platter routine that is very funny indeed.

Others offering cleverly cartoonish work are Jessejames Locorriere, Nathan Lee, Tom Mason, R. Alex Murray, and Claire Syler. Some of the players double up and, in the case of John Silvestro, triple up on roles.

When we're not hearing old-timey musical chestnuts (e.g., "White Cliffs of Dover"), we're hearing the original score of musical director/pianist Tom McBryde, all of it music-hall-appropriate. The multitalented Mason also contributes Richard's comical, bravado-rich Act I ragtime closer, "The Big Time."

With its Palace Theatre setting, lively staging and broadly creative, tongue-in-cheek approach to the Bard, Hicks' Richard is more George M. Cohan than Kenneth Branagh—and that makes it a perfect tonic for these tough economic times. The show runs through Jan. 31.