The Gershwin Theater has played host to the musical sensation Wicked for more than 15 years. It was back in 2003 that a young Ginna Claire Mason saw Wicked musical tour for the first time as the original cast left the audience in awe. She didn't even know that the iconic musical will go on to play a vital role in her life. After bidding her time as a Glinda standby on Broadway while leading the national tour for 20 months, she is now the Bubble Queen on the Great White Way. We spoke to the Nashville born resident on her childhood, her love for acting and a host of other things.
Home of music
Mason doesn't hold back the praise for Nashville as the reason she fell in love with music. "From every corner, you are greeted with music. Music has been with me right from a young age," she said. "Although the town is becoming bigger every day, it was quite small when I was growing up." The Music City played a key role in Mason's life, and it served as an inspiration for her wedding. "No bride wants to wear cowgirl boots on her wedding day, but I had to be that bride," she said. "My dress was lagging behind, and I had these boots with the perfect heel. I didn't think twice before using the boots, and that's how I got married on my cowgirl boots, which was a very Nashville-thing."
The uprising
Although it is the only professional actor in her family, her family wasn't too far from the everyday drama. "We loved musical theater classics as a family, in fact, we were raised by with them," she said. "Anytime we are together, we usually sang 'One Day More' from Les Misérables. My childhood was filled with timeless classics like My Fair Lady." Mason had a huge love for Musicals, and that led her to entertain her family with her own shows on Saturday evenings. "I loved performing, and I would put on a show for my family and put up tickets for sale," she said. "They would not hesitate to pay, and it made everything really wholesome."
The Game Changer
The family never passed up the chance to see their favorite Broadway production in New York. "I was in the fourth grade or thereabouts when I saw my first show," she said. "I watched Les Misérables for the first time in amazement at the Imperial Theatre. I remember asking my mom, 'is this what people do for a living? This thing I do just for fun, people take it as an actual job?" Mason's love for Broadway flourished, and it played a key role in making her the star she is now. "What changed everything for me was seeing the original cast of Wicked on Broadway," she said. "I remember telling my parents that I will like to play Glinda someday, and here I am."
Trensch to the rescue
Mason spent a good number of years performing in school, and community theater. Her first stage performance was Little Miss Muffet in Goin' Buggy. It was not too long for her to realize that her hobby could become an occupation for her. "I saw New York University as my next destination," she said. "I had my first college audition at Elon University, and as luck would have it, Taylor Trensch walked into my college audition. I grew in love with the entire department and the program as well. This was the start of something great."
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