2005 MAC Award Winners Announced

The 2005 MAC Awards were presented April 25 at the Peter Norton Symphony Space. The MAC Awards are presented annually to honor achievements in cabaret, comedy and jazz. The Awards encompass nearly 20 categories, including vocalists and vocal groups, piano bar and jazz performers, comedy and musical comedy performers, impersonators, writers of songs and special material, directors, musical directors and technical directors, recordings, and more.

MAC also honored the incomparable Keely Smith with its Lifetime Achievement Award; Grammy Award-winners and jazz greats Kenny Barron and George Coleman each received the MAC Board of Directors Award for Jazz; and comedian/actor Mario Cantone was honored with the MAC Board of Directors Award for Comedy. Adam Feldman of MAC's Media Sponsor, Time Out New York magazine, presented Maude Maggart with its annual Time Out New York Special Achievement Award.

Female Vocalist
Lisa Asher
Natalie Douglas ***
Barbara Fasano

Male Vocalist
Brandon Cutrell ***
Anthony Santelmo Jr.
Steve Ray Watkins

New York Debut - Female
Maude Maggart ***
Sarah Mucho
Tracy Stark

New York Debut - Male
Ritt Henn ***
Thomas Honeck
Steven Garrett Wright

Major Engagement
Barbara Brussell
Karen Mason ***
Mark Nadler

Stand-Up Comedy/Monology
Rock Albers
Poppi Kramer
Nancy Witter ***

Impersonation
Steven Brinberg (Barbra Streisand)
Tommy Femia (Judy Garland)
Chuck Sweeney (Peggy Lee) ***

Musical Comedy Performer
Fred Barton
Dottie Burman
Ray Jessell ***
Shawn Ryan

Vocal Or Musical Comedy Duo/Group
Marcus Simeone & Eva Ladas ***
The Next Big Broadway Musical
3 Tenors in Search of an Act

Revue
The Johnny Mercer Birthday Show ***
Singing Astaire
Timeless Divas!

Variety Production/Recurring Series or Special Production
Gashole: The Talk Show, Gashole: The Tonyshow
New Mondays ***
Poole Party

Piano Bar/Restaurant Entertainer
Leslie Anderson ***
Jenifer Kruskamp
George Sanders

Piano Bar/Restaurant Instrumentalist
Gerry Dieffenbach
Ricky Ritzel
Jerry Scott ***
Tracy Stark

Director
Phil Geoffrey Bond ***
Hope Hardcastle
Ron Poole

Musical Director
Christopher Denny
Rick Jensen
Alex Rybeck ***

Technical Director
Michael Barbieri
Thomas Honeck ***
Shawn Moninger

Recording of the Year
John Bucchino, "On Richard Rodgers' Piano"
Ann Hampton Callaway, "Slow" ***
Ricky Ritzel & Leslie Anderson, "Cool, Cool, Cool - Songs of Johnny Mercer"

Song of the Year
Nancy Baxter & Paul Stephan, "Elusive"
Bonnie Lee Sanders, Joel Diamond and Mila, "Friends (Laisse Moi T'Aimer)"
Marie Gentile and Caren Cole, "I'd Rather Never Know"
Ann Hampton Callaway, "My Answered Prayer" ***
Michael Ogborn, "Ou Apres La Guerre"

Special Musical Material of the Year
Ann Hampton Callaway, "Here Come the Callaways"
Fred Barton, "I Can Be an Icon Too"
Mary Liz Mcnamara, "I Love You Sweetheart"
Peter Lurye and Peter Yawitz, "Not Good Enough"
Ray Jessel, "The Short Term Memory Loss Blues" ***

For more information on the MAC Awards, visit www.macnyc.com.