2009 Nightlife Awards to Take Place January 26; Gatlin, Block, Morton & More to Perform

On Monday, January 26 at 7 PM, the 7th Annual Nightlife Awards Concert, hailed as "The Nightclub World's Equivalent of the Tony's" by Stephen Holden of the New York Times, returns once again with the most -- and the best -- entertainment of any awards show in the world. The reason is simple: there are no acceptance speeches at The Nightlife Awards. The winners perform to show why they were chosen. And the reason they're the best is because they've been chosen by a broad-based panel of more than two dozen members of the press of New York City that covers cabaret, comedy, and jazz. And the best of New York City nightlife is, by defintion, the best in the world. Hyperbole? Not to the people who have attended The Nightlife Awards in the past. Among the winners who have performed at The Nightlife Awards in the past have included such luminaries as Brian Stokes Mitchell, Elaine Stritch, Alan King, Betty Buckley, Ute Lemper, Robert Klein, Karen Akers, Judy Gold, Liz Callaway, Ann Hampton Callaway, Lea Delaria, John Pizzarelli, Jessica Molaskey, Marilyn Maye, Barb Jungr, Paula West, Maureen McGovern, Kristin Chenoweth, Donna Murphy, Bruce Vilanch, Andrea Marcovicci, Christine Ebersole, Freddy Cole, Keely Smith, Bill Charlap, Sandi Stewart, Eartha Kitt, etc., etc.

The 2009 edition of The Nightlife Awards will be just as star-studded, if not more so, than in the past. Though the winners will not be announced until January, we are teasing with just a few of the guest performers who will be on stage on January 26th to add their talent to the glitter of the evening. Country superstar Larry Gatlin will perform. So, too, will Broadway and Nightlife stars, Stephanie J. Block and Euan Morton. Stephanie will be starring in 9 - 5 on Broadway in the Spring, and Euan Morton is the Tony-nominated star of Taboo. More guest performers and celebrity presenters will be announced soon, as will the actual Nightlife Award winners.

"Given that this is the holiday season,' said the Nightlife Awards creator & producer, Scott Siegel, "let me say that this awards concert is 'gifted' with not only the most outstanding cabaret, comedy and jazz performers in the world on one stage, on one night, but we also have stars from many other performance genres that come to Town Hall to lend their support. We've had Academy Award winning film director Robert Altman, TV star Tony Danza, 3 time Grammy winning Nashville star Lari White, Academy Award winning actor F. Murray Abraham, Pop Icon Leslie Gore, Legendary Record Producer, Phil Ramone, Divas, Patti LuPone and Liza Minnelli, and more! This is an evening of bang, bang, bang entertainment, punctuated by introductions by some of the most glamorous and talented people in the entertainment world. I've been amazed from the very beginning at the extraordinary level -- and diversity -- of talent that gets up On the Town Hall stage for this event every year. It is, I'm proud to say, a breathaking event not only for the audience but for the cast backstage. Even they can't believe how many incredible people they're seeing perform!"

Tickets to the Nightlife Awards have only recently gone on sale to the public.
The price is a recession proof $25, $50, or $75 for a non-stop evening of great performances.
Tickets are availabe via TicketMaster at 212-307-4100 or at TicketMaster.com.
Tickets will be available at the Town Hall Box Office starting Monday, January 5th.
Town Hall is located at 123 West 43rd Street.

The Nightlife Awards are sponsored, in part, by ASCAP, TheaterMania.com, Thoroughbred Records, Jill & Irwin Cohen, The Edythe Kenner Foundation, Trattoria Dopo Teatro, Edith & Ervin Drake, Barbara & Peter Leavy, Ghostlight Records, Steve Ernst, Lynn DiMenna, Jamie DeRoy & Friends, Fred Landau, Stuart E. Bloom & Robert L. Aaron: Lightstyles, LLC.

Photo: Stephanie J. Block by Walter McBride