The best of cabaret, comedy and jazz will be celebrated when the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) presents the 2005 MAC Awards on Monday, April 25th at The Peter Norton Symphony Space (2537 Broadway at 95th Street, NYC) at 7:30PM. Tickets are $125, $70 and $40, and can be purchased at The Peter Norton Symphony Space box-office or by phone at 212-864-5400. MAC will honor the incomparable Keely Smith with its Lifetime Achievement Award; Grammy® Award-winners and jazz greats Kenny Barron and George Coleman will each receive the MAC Board of Directors Award for Jazz; and comedian/actor Mario Cantone will be honored with the MAC Board of Directors Award for Comedy. Adam Feldman of MAC's Media Sponsor, Time Out New York magazine, will present Maude Maggart with its annual Time Out New York Special Achievement Award.
Executive Producer Barry Levitt, with co-Producers Judy Barnett, Jan Grossberg and Shelley Roberts, will collaborate with director, Peter Flynn, on the star-packed event to include live performances and/or appearances (to date) by: The Accidentals; Kenny Barron; Ann Hampton Callaway; Kim Cea; George Coleman; Chip Deffaa; Andre De Shields; Baby Jane Dexter; Eric Michael Gillett; La Tanya Hall; Hilary Kole; Lina Koutrakos; Patti LuPone; Jeanne MacDonald; Maude Maggart; Manhattan Rhythm Kings; Karen Mason; Mark Nadler; Ron Poole; Marcus Simeone; Keely Smith (with her nine-piece band); Ty Stephens; KT Sullivan; Jon Weber; Julie Wilson; Nancy Witter; the Cast of Singing Astaire; and Spamalot's Sara Ramirez (all subject to change). Award-winning performers Angela La Greca and Sidney Myer will share the stage as Masters of Ceremonies. D.J. Bradley will serve as Musical Director.
There will be a very special tribute to the late Dick Gallagher, featuring Patti LuPone, Karen Mason and Lina Koutrakos. Cabaret's grand dame, Julie Wilson, will perform a special number in memory of Bobby Short.
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.
"I am so proud of our community," says Executive Producer and MAC President, Barry Levitt, who is producing his fourth MAC Awards event. "Since MAC's creation in 1983, many of the performers who have appeared on our stages have branched out to successful careers in recording, Broadway and off-Broadway, television and film. With this year's event, we will honor Keely, Kenny, George and Mario, some of the greats who represent cabaret, comedy and jazz. But this evening also celebrates all the wonderful, bright, up and coming talent – both onstage and off – keeping the tradition alive in MAC's 70+ member clubs throughout New York City and nationwide."
MANHATTAN ASSOCIATION OF CABARETS & CLUBS (MAC) was founded in 1983. Its mission is to advance the art and business of live entertainment. A trade association, its activities are designed to heighten public awareness of the contributions and vitality of the performing arts of cabaret, comedy and jazz, to build its current and future audiences, and to speak out as an influential voice on behalf of MAC members and the industry at large. Members of MAC include cabaret, comedy and jazz artists, directors and musical directors, technical directors, musicians, club owners and booking managers, composers and lyricists, journalists and publicists, artists' managers and agents, and friends and supporters of live entertainment.
TIME OUT NEW YORK is MAC's official Media Sponsor.
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