Marvin Hamlisch, Liz Smith et al. to Present Awards at 27TH Annual Bistro Awards, 4/23

Columnist Liz Smith, composer and conductor Marvin Hamlisch, choreographer George Faison, and jazz artist Annie Ross are among the presenters appearing at the 27th Annual Bistro Awards on Monday April 23 at 6:30pm at Gotham Comedy Club in New York, 208 West 23rd Street.

Liz Smith, the “Grande Dame of Dish,” presents the Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award to Kaye Ballard. Best known for her gossip column (that was syndicated in nearly 70 newspapers), Liz is one of the owners of a new website for women, wowOwow.com.

Marvin Hamlisch, the composer of more than forty film scores ("The Way We Were," "Three Men and A Baby," "Ice Castles"), Broadway shows ("A Chorus Line," "They’re Playing Our Song," "The Goodbye Girl," "Sweet Smell of Success") and the principal pops conductor for a half-dozen symphony orchestras across the country, Hamlisch presents the Bistro Award for Outstanding Contributions to American Popular Music to Melissa Manchester.

The Tony Award-winning choreographer of more than 30 plays and musicals, and the co-founder of the Faison Firehouse Theater, George Faison presents the Bistro Award for Ongoing Artistry in Jazz to Dee Dee Bridgewater.

A founding member of the legendary jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, Annie Ross was inducted into the ASCAP Wall of Fame in 2009. She appears weekly at the Metropolitan Room with her band, which includes Warren Vaché to whom she presents the Bistro Award for Ongoing Excellence as a Jazz Instrumentalist.

The evening, under the direction of Sara Louise Lazarus, musical direction by Lenny Babbish, is hosted by comedian and actor Jim David, and will feature performances from most of this year’s Bistro-winning artists. In all, a total of 26 awards will be given out during the course of the gala evening. Sherry Eaker is the producer.

The evening's festivities include a Champagne reception for the Bistro recipients and Premium Ticket holders (5 pm), followed by the awards presentation and show (6:30 pm).

This year's Bistro Awards Committee comprises the journalists Elizabeth Ahlfors (Cabaret Scenes, CurtainUp.com, and BistroAwards.com); David Finkle (Village Voice, The Huffington Post); Kevin Scott Hall (Edge Media Network, BistroAwards.com); Rob Lester (Cabaret Scenes, NiteLifeExchange.com, TalkinBroadway.com); Erv Raible, executive/artistic director of the Cabaret Conference at Yale University; Roy Sander (BistroAwards.com, chairman of the Advisory Board of MAC), and Mark Dundas Wood (Simply-Showbiz.com, BistroAwards.com). Eaker, who heads up the Bistro Committee, is the former longtime editor-in-chief of Back Stage, and the producer of the event since its inception.

The Bistro Awards are sponsored by ASCAP and BMI, with additional sponsorship from Branson B. Champagne, Banfi Wines, and the Loews Regency Hotel. General Admission tickets are $60; Premium Tickets are $95, which includes the pre-show Champagne reception, priority seating and After Bistros buffet. There is a two-drink minimum. A food menu is also available. To purchase show tickets, go to www.bistroawards.com. For additional information, please call 917-239-5467.