Prolific QC piano player Mason Moss says hello again to Broadway blockbuster “Book of Mormon.”
The 27-year-old Rock Island High alumnus is currently in New York City rehearsing for the multiple Tony winner’s new national tour, and will serve as the show’s musical director/conductor through next summer.
Moss is no stranger to the hilarious musicals from the creators of South Park. He played keyboards and played many guitars when The Book of Mormon toured the US and Mexico in 2019 (about 5-6 months in total), including a final tour in Peoria in January 2020. did a performance.
In its first run, Moss cycled on and off for weeks. His first performance was on tour at Adler His Theater in Davenport in June 2018.
“Adler was the first shot for me, and then it was the experience that subbed it that really gave them a vacation swing spot,” Moss said in an interview from New York on Monday. Told.
“It was really cool to play in my hometown,” he said. “To get people’s support, I was also a little scared at that moment. You know what I mean? It’s a very huge show and the key 2 book is very important. For example, controlling all the doorbells and contains several key elements that are important to the show’s overall sound design.”
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” Sarah Tubbs, co-owner of Moline’s Spotlight Theater, told Moss Monday. He’s a great guy to work with. They’re so lucky to have him. We’ve worked with him for several years and he’s a really great guy.
“The Book of Mormon” has music, lyrics and books by Trey Parker, Robert Lopez and Matt Stone. Premiered in 2011, the musical is a satirical examination of the beliefs and practices of Jesus of Latter-day Saints and His Church of Christ. Today, he has over 4,000 performances on Broadway and will soon surpass “Miss Saigon” as the 13th longest-running show in Broadway history.
The show won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. The original Broadway cast recording became the best Broadway cast album in over 40 years.
too much fun to not get bored
“The Book of Mormon” is a never-ending show, Moss said Monday.
“It’s a really easy show to keep working on over a long period of time because the material is so right. It’s so comical, so satirical,” he said.
“It would be a lot harder for me to do a show like this every night versus a heavy show like ‘Les Miz’ or ‘Wicked,'” Moss said. . “Mormon” is very bright, fast-paced and energetic.
The musical has a nine-person orchestra, including a conductor and co-conductor, each of whom is a keyboard player. The orchestration was exactly the same as the first tour, first Moss had to be responsible for his over 250 “patches” of keyboards (meaning many doorbell-like instruments and sound effects).
He enjoys conducting and playing keyboards (without conducting) equally.
“Each brings its own challenges and exciting parts,” says Moss. “Sometimes I really enjoy playing key 2, because it’s a chance to sit back, relax, and play the groove. And it’s like making sure the ship is afloat.”
He saw an article online in February, noticed a new tour was planned, and started looking for a job.
“I just reached out to colleagues who I knew had been on the show before and expressed interest in the opportunity,” Moss said.
The biggest difference between this tour and previous tours is that this tour is non-equity (with non-union performers).
To get the new gig, Moss said, “It was not only a little bit of luck, but a little bit of forward momentum.
Des Moines and Rockford on Tour
He’ll begin rehearsals a week in advance after the show is cast, and will open previews for two and a half weeks at theaters in Utica, New York on September 14 (the final two performances will be open to the public). The tour officially opens on September 27 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, with Moss under contract to run until early July 2023.
“Equity or equity aside, the cast are all top-notch. They’re all at the top of their game,” he said, noting that several actors are on the show’s first national tour. did.
“So in a way it brings a youthful vibrancy to the show, and a new life to the show,” Moss said. I am one of the few people who have had the experience of
“I’ve been teaching everything from scratch since day one, which is great because you can reinvent things from scratch,” he said.
Having a young cast is a great fit, Moss said, since true Mormon missionaries are usually between the ages of 19 and 24. This tour he doesn’t end in QC, but goes to the Midwest in many places. They include:
- Des Moines, October 7-9
- Wausau, Wisconsin, October 18-19
- January 20, 2023 Rockford, Illinois
- Chicago, March 28-April 16, 2023
“The good thing about this show and deunionization is that we get to visit some smaller markets and some markets that we couldn’t hit before,” Moss said.
Extensive QC music experience
He has a wealth of experience as music director for QC Theater, including spotlight theater’s “Tuck Everlasting” and “The Lightning Thief” and last year’s “Winter Wonderland” (including track production) for Circa ’21. The Neil Diamond tribute concert, “The Lonely Man,” featured Brad Houskins on New Year’s Eve last year and earlier this month and featured about 25 songs.
“We took all the content and expanded it into a full rhythm section: bass, drums, guitar, keys, 3 background vocalists, horns and Brad singing lead parts,” Moss said Monday. “It’s a very Vegas-style show. I did the vocal arrangements, the horn arrangements, the medley from scratch, and I was also the musical director and keyboards for the show.”
He and Housekins hope to bring the show to area casinos and other theaters at some point.
Moss studied music education at Western Illinois University, and in the spring of 2018, he served as musical director and keyboardist for “Catch Me If You Can” (Music Guild) and played keyboards for “Little Shop of Horrors.” Worked as an assistant music director. (Spring 2017), “A Chorus Line” at the 2018 Guild.
He then directed “Little Shop” at Spotlight Theater, where he directed the music for “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” and played keyboards for “Peter and the Starcatcher.”
Moss Co-Music directed “Hairspray” at Aleman High School in Rock Island in Fall 2018 and also performed on Aleman’s show “Grease” in Fall 2017. Prior to his first “Mormon” tour, he was choir accompanist at Moline’s Wilson Middle School and organist/pianist at Moline’s First Congregational Her Church and UCC.
Production on “Mormon” began when Manny Lopez hired him as a sub during an eight-performance tour at the Adler Theater in 2018. Moss performed with Lopez’s big band at the Rock Island Speakeasy and occasionally appeared on touring shows that called for local musicians.
“It’s a very tough Keyboard 2 book,” Moss said of “Mormon” in 2019, noting the conductor playing Keyboard 1. Speaking of Adler’s gigs, he said: It put me in such a big performance venue, a big tour. I knew about the show; I’m a “South Park” fan. I knew music. It was a surreal experience to be able to be there while it was happening. ”
Tours later called him up to replace their assistant music director or conductor/music director while they were on vacation.
‘Tubbs & Moss’ continues on Spotlight
Moss also used Spotlight (1800 7th Ave., Moline) specializes in jazz standards with singer and theater co-owner Sara Tubbs.
Veteran QC pianist/singer Freddie Allen will replace Moss during the “Mormon” tour, with Moss’ brother John continuing on bass and drummer Tumbleweed (Richard Vought). They’ll do the next three months, with Mason returning during the Christmas break in December to do a spotlight holiday show on the main stage before returning to tour.
That series is usually found in Spotlight’s Blueprint Bar and Lounge. Future schedule is September. October 9th, October 21st, November 18th at the bar and December 16th on the main stage (featuring a big band with horns arranged by Mason, who will play the band).
“I think he’s going to get snatched left and right,” Tubbs said of his life after the “Mormon” tour. “You never know what will happen, but we support him 100% and root for him. I couldn’t be more excited for him.”
“He’s on a new adventure. I think he’s going to learn a lot and have an incredible time. I can’t wait to hear about it all,” she added.
Click here for more information on the Book of Mormon Tour.
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