Arlington Heights native was always Broadway bound

"I loved this role because the songs were written for me," Mason said. "Especially the song 'Off With Their Heads.'"

This version of the childhood classic ran for four weeks this spring, putting a new contemporary spin on the adventures of Alice and her friends.

Mason returns to her roots when she talks about her start in show business. She moved to Arlington Heights from St. Louis when she was 14. Her mother was a classically trained concert pianist, and her parents took Mason and her sister to the opera when they were still young.

Mason participated in school and community performances, but admits it wasn't just for the stage experience.

"I always had an ulterior motive," Mason said. "Sometimes I did (shows) to meet boys."

Mason was 25 back in the '70s when she met the guy who would change her life: the late Brian Lasser. They became close friends and show business partners for 16 years, and Lasser served as Mason's mentor.

Together, they had a hot Chicago cabaret act. But Mason's heart was on Broadway and with the encouragement of Lasser and other friends she gave the New York theater scene a try.

"The best advice I ever got was at a party when someone said 'if you want to be in show business don't wait till you're 50 to do it,'" Mason said.

She took the advice to heart and has had lead roles in Broadway productions like "Hairspray," "Mamma Mia" and "Sunset Boulevard." She has also made appearances on television shows such as "Law & Order."

Lasser composed music and plays for Mason until his death from AIDS in 1992. Four years after he died, Mason debuted the one-women show that Lasser wrote, "One Tough Cookie," at the Apple Tree Theatre in Highland Park. She also released a CD, "Not So Simply Broadway," filled with musical classics like "Never Never Land" and "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face."

With the end of "Wonderland," Mason is doing some concerts and looking for more roles, which according to her, is "all part of show business."

She is also working on two new CDs, one with her songwriter/record-producer husband and another of Lasser's songs - further honoring the impact he had on her life.

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Brian," Mason said. "He gave me courage to do what I love and I want to keep doing it until I can't."