2018 MAC Award Nominees Announced
By: Stephi Wild Feb. 26, 2018
The Manhattan Association of Cabarets (MAC) is pleased to announce the 2018 MAC Award nominees. The nominees, in a majority of the categories, were determined by votes cast by the active MAC membership. The MAC Board of Directors selected the nominees for Show of the Year. Special committees selected the nominees in the Ensemble Instrumentalist, Piano Bar Instrumentalist, Piano Bar Singing Entertainer (Female; Male), Recording (LaMott Friedman), Major Recording, Song and Comedy/Novelty Song categories. The names of the songwriters in the Song and Comedy/Novelty Song categories are being withheld during the voting period, but will be announced publicly as soon as the voting period concludes.
The Hanson Award, presented by the Board of Directors to a performer who has done excellent work over a sustained period of time and has not yet been recognized with a MAC Award nomination, will be awarded to Carol Shedlin. As previously announced, Sharon McNight and Ruby Rims will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards, and James Gavin will receive the Board of Directors Award.
The winners will be revealed as the envelopes are opened live at the 32st Annual MAC Awards on Tuesday, March 27 at 7:00 pm at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York City. Until that moment, only the independent accountants know who the winners are. The winners in certain categories will perform live at the show. All nominees in those categories are rehearsed in advance so they are prepared to perform in the event they are the winner.
The MAC Awards ceremony is produced by Julie Miller and directed by Lennie Watts, with musical direction by Tracy Stark. The event is open to the public. Tickets are available at www.macnyc.com or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/.
2018 MAC AWARD NOMINEES
FEMALE VOCALIST
Sally Darling
Love Lust & Longing: Don't Tell Mama
Dawn Derow
My Ship: Songs from 1941: Laurie Beechman Theatre; Crown and Anchor (Provincetown)
Marnie Klar
Bedtime Stories: Don't Tell Mama
WENDY SCHERL
New SCHERL in Town: Metropolitan Room; Don't Tell Mama; Davenport's
Lisa Viggiano
Three's a Charm: Don't Tell Mama; Society Cabaret (San Francisco)
Lisa Yaeger
Jersey Girl: Metropolitan Room; Don't Tell Mama
MALE VOCALIST
Joshua Lance Dixon
Pack of One: Don't Tell Mama
Richard Holbrook
The Many Moods of Christmas: Don't Tell Mama
JEFF MACAULEY
Hollywood Party: Movie Songs 1928-1936: Pangea
Kim David Smith
Morphium Kabarett: Pangea
MAJOR ARTIST - FEMALE
Carole J. Bufford
Fearless Females of the 1960s: Feinstein's/54 Below
Natalie Douglas
Tribute shows (Sammy Davis, Jr., Linda Ronstadt, Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey): Birdland
Tanya Moberly
Six Different Shows, Six Different Musicians, Six Friday Nights: Don't Tell Mama
Stacy Sullivan
The Sultry Side of Cole; The Fever of Miss Peggy Lee: Beach Café; Rosarito Beach Hotel (Mexico)
MAJOR ARTIST - MALE
Eric Comstock
Saturdays @6PM (20 varying performances): Birdland
Sean Harkness
Duos series, Japan Tour 2017: Birdland; various venues in Japan
Jeff Harnar
Easy to Love; Sammy Cahn: All the Way; The 1959 Broadway Songbook: Beach Café; Metropolitan Room;
Laurie Beechman Theatre
NEW YORK DEBUT - FEMALE
CAITLIN FAHEY
Party of One: Don't Tell Mama
BECCA C. KIDWELL
A Song & Its Girl: Don't Tell Mama
Ann Kittredge
It's About Time; One Night Only: Metropolitan Room; Don't Tell Mama; Feinstein's/54 Below
KATI NEIHEISEL
Among the Stars: Don't Tell Mama
NEW YORK DEBUT - MALE
David Baida
Unexpected Surprise: Metropolitan Room
Byron St. Cyr
4600 Mithra: My New Orlean: Don't Tell Mama
JEREMY SUSSMAN
Jeremy Sussman Sings More of the American Songbook and Other Curiosities: Don't Tell Mama
CELEBRITY ARTIST
Karen Mason
Mason at Mama's in May; Mason's Makin' Music; CD Release Show: Don't Tell Mama; Davenport's;
The RRazz Room; Birdland
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Feinstein's/54 Below
KT Sullivan
Colored Lights; You're the Top: Laurie Beechman Theatre; Birdland
IMPERSONATION/CHARACTERIZATION/DRAG ARTIST
Dorothy Bishop
The Dozen Divas Show; Metropolitan Room
Robin Kradles (Richard Becker)
Gambling on Love; Don't Tell Mama
GINGER MINJ
Sweet T; Crossdresser for Christ: The Musical; Laurie Beechman Theatre
Jinkx Monsoon
Jinkx Sings Everything; Laurie Beechman Theatre
MUSICAL COMEDY PERFORMER
Ira Lee Collings
Life Is a Song-So, Why Not Sing It!: Don't Tell Mama
Gretchen Reinhagen
#iBlamePaleo: Don't Tell Mama
Amy Wolk
Hungry Like the Wolk: The Duplex
SPOKEN WORD ARTIST
Dan Ruth
A Life Behind Bars; Laurie Beechman Theatre
Nancy Witter
Growing Up McDougal; Don't Tell Mama
DUO/GROUP
David Maiocco AND Chuck Sweeney
Lee Squared - An Evening with Liberace and Miss Peggy Lee
Metropolitan Room; The RRazz Room; Cotuit Center for the Performing Arts
THOSE GIRLS (Eve Eaton, Rachel Hanser, Karen Mack, Wendy A. Russell)
Those Girls; Those Girls Unplugged
Laurie Beechman Theatre; Pangea
UNEXPECTED TRIO (Meg Flather, Rosemary Loar, and Tracy Stark)
Don't Tell Mama; 53 Above; Music at the Mansion
MAJOR DUO/GROUP
Eric Comstock AND Barbara Fasano
Various shows: Birdland; Jazz at Kitano; Kaplan Penthouse (Lincoln Center); Mezzrow; Gaslight Theatre (St. Louis); Café Sabarsky
Carole Demas AND Sarah Rice
Thank You for Your Love: Laurie Beechman Theatre
Marcus Simeone AND Sean Harkness
Blue: Don't Tell Mama
RECURRING SERIES
AMERICAN POPULAR SONG SOCIETY SERIES
Produced by Linda Amiel Burns: Musicians Hall at Local 802
IT'S JUST A NUMBER
Created, produced, and directed by Bobbie Horowitz: Metropolitan Room; The Triad
OPEN MIC AT THE MET
Produced and hosted by Deb Berman and Susan Winter: Metropolitan Room
Ricky Ritzel'S BROADWAY
Created and produced by Ricky Ritzel, staging and choreography by Jay Rogers and Aaron Morishita:
Don't Tell Mama
SALON
Mark Janas, founder, artistic director, host; Tanya Moberly, executive producer: Etcetera, Etcetera
SPOTLIGHT ON YOU OPEN MIC
Created, produced, and hosted by Natasha Castillo and John Koprowski; 53 Above
REVUE OR SPECIAL PRODUCTION
LIVE TO TELL: MY LIFE, MADONNA'S SONGS
Created by Kim Sutton, Steven Ray Watkins, and Lennie Watts; starring Kim Sutton: Laurie Beechman Theatre
MAMA'S NEXT BIG ACT!
Produced by Don't Tell Mama and Lennie Watts: Don't Tell Mama
METROSTAR TALENT CHALLENGE
Produced by Joseph Macchia, Tom Gamblin, Beck Lee, Bernie Furshpan: Metropolitan Room
TOGETHER: 2017 CABARET AWARD-NOMINATED VOCALISTS
Featuring Celia Berk, Sally Darling, Meg Flather, Josephine Sanges, Lisa Viggiano, directed by Jeff Harnar, musical direction by John M. Cook: Don't Tell Mama; Urban Stages
EMCEE
Natasha Castillo
Spotlight on You Open Mic: 53 Above
Bobbie Horowitz
It's Just a Number: Metropolitan Room; The Triad
Lennie Watts
Mama's Next BIG Act!: Don't Tell Mama
Amy Wolk
I Only Have Lies for You: Laurie Beechman Theatre
DIRECTOR
Jeff Harnar
Dawn Derow/My Ship: Songs from 1941 (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Anna Bergman/You're All the World to Me (Feinstein's/54 Below); Tovah Feldshuh/Aging Is Optional (Feinstein's/54 Below); Together: 2017 Cabaret Award-Nominated Vocalists (Don't Tell Mama, Urban Stages); Margo Brown/Margo Sings Mercer (Metropolitan Room)
Lina Koutrakos
Mary Sue Daniels/Straight Outa 'Conda (Don't Tell Mama); LisaYaeger/Jersey Girl (Metropolitan Room; Don't Tell Mama); Caitlin Fahey/Party of One (Don't Tell Mama); Katie McGrath/Significant Other (Metropolitan Room), Ruth Carlin/Kaleidoscope Eyes (Don't Tell Mama)
Tanya Moberly
Dan Ruth/A Life Behind Bars (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Amy Beth Williams/Carried Away, A Thousand Beautiful Things (Don't Tell Mama); Marnie Klar/Bedtime Stories (Don't Tell Mama)
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Ian Herman
Carole J. Bufford/You Don't Own Me (Feinstein's/54 Below); Dawn Derow/My Ship: Songs from 1941 (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Amy Beth Williams/A Thousand Beautiful Things (Don't Tell Mama); Sharon McNight/Soup to Nuts (The The Duplex); Tanya Moberly/The Ian Herman Show (Don't Tell Mama)
Rick Jensen
Doris Dear/Holiday Cheer (Triad); Lisa Yaeger/Jersey Girl (Don't Tell Mama, Metropolitan Room); Caitlin Fahey/Party of One (Don't Tell Mama); Katie McGrath/Significant Others (Metropolitan Room); Mary Sue Daniels/Straight Outa 'Conda (Don't Tell Mama)
Daryl Kojak
Deborah Stone/Siren Song (Don't Tell Mama); 2017 Bistro Awards (Gotham Comedy Club); Famous Duets II (Urban Stages); Richard Skipper Celebrates E.Y. Harburg on His Birthday (Laurie Beechman Theatre);
Rob Davis/A Sinatra Kind of Christmas (Pangea)
Tracy Stark
Meg Flather/Hold on Tight (Don't Tell Mama); Gretchen Reinhagen/#iBlamePaleo (Don't Tell Mama);
Kim David Smith/Morpheum Kabarett (Pangea, Café Sabarsky, Crown & Anchor); Peggy Eason (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Karen Kohler/The Home I Love-From Birdland to Tel Aviv (Congregation Emanu-El,
San Francisco)
Steven Ray Watkins
Kim Sutton/Live to Tell (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Those Girls (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Mama's Next BIG Act! (Don't Tell Mama); Marnie Klar/Bedtime Stories (Don't Tell Mama); Tanya Moberly/The Steven Ray Watkins Show (Don't Tell Mama)
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Collette Black, Don't Tell Mama
Julie Reyburn/Fate Is Kind; Renee Katz/Never Been Gone; J Michael Reed & Marc McBarron Kessler/The Ghost of Vaudeville; Sean Harkness & Marcus Simeone/Blue (all at Don't Tell Mama)
Jason Ellis, Don't Tell Mama, 53 Above
Groovin' on a Sunday (Don't Tell Mama, 53 Above); Unexpected Trio - Meg Flather, Rosemary Loar, Tracy Stark (53 Above); Escape to Ukulele Island (53 Above); Liquid Sky Night: New Wave (53 Above); Spotlight on You Open Mic (53 Above)
Abby Judd, Laurie Beechman Theatre
Dawn Derow/My Ship: Songs from 1941; Dan Ruth/A Life Behind Bars; Carole Demas & Sarah Rice/Thank You for Your Love; KT Sullivan & Jeff Harnar/#SondheimMontage; Leslie Carrara-Rudolph/What Just Happened? An Adult Cabaret (all at Laurie Beechman Theatre)
JONNY MERCADO, Metropolitan Room, Don't Tell Mama
Cabaret's Greatest Hits series (Metropolitan Room); Karen Mason/Mason at Mama's in May (Don't Tell Mama); Mama's Next BIG Act! (Don't Tell Mama); The Lennie Watts and Those Girls Christmas Extravaganza (Don't Tell Mama); Richard Holbrook/The Many Moods of Christmas (Don't Tell Mama)
Jean-Pierre Perreaux, Metropolitan Room
Annie Ross; Stacy Sullivan/A Night at the Troubador; Marissa Mulder/Be Here Now: The Songs of Ray Lamontagne; Marilyn Maye/Marilyn by Request; Gunhild Carling/The Gunhild Carling Experience (all at Metropolitan Room)
ENSEMBLE INSTRUMENTALIST
Sean Harkness, guitar
Kathleen Turner (Ripley Grier New Studio, Philadelphia Theatre Company): Keith Richards/Sarah Dash (Joe's Pub); KJ Denhert (55 Bar); Love Cures benefit concert (Symphony Space); Stacy Sullivan/A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee (Sheen Center)
Ritt Henn, bass
Anita Gillette, Birdland; Amy Beth Williams/Carried Away (Don't Tell Mama); Those Girls (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Liz Robertson (Don't Tell Mama); Jackie Draper (Laurie Beechman Theatre)
Ray Marchica, percussion
Sean Harkness/Sean Harkness and The Usual Suspects (Metropolitan Room); Cabaret Convention/Too Marvelous for Words/Star Dust (Jazz at Lincoln Center); Debbie Gravitte with the Russ Kassoff Big Band/Big Band Broadway (Birdland); Billy Stritch/Lucky to Be Me (Birdland); Billy Stritch & Christine Ebersole/Snowfall, (Birdland)
Matt Scharfglass, bass
Lisa Viggiano/Three's a Charm (Don't Tell Mama); Marnie Klar/Bedtime Stories (Don't Tell Mama); Those Girls, Laurie Beechman Theatre; Michael McCorry Rose and Tiffany Haas/Cheek to Cheek (Feinstein's/54 Below); Kim Sutton/Live to Tell (Laurie Beechman Theatre)
David Silliman, percussion
Kim Dunbar and William Candelario (Metropolitan Room); Sue Matsuki/Jam 'n' Toasts (Don't Tell Mama);
Jillian Laurain/Hello Gorgeous! - A Tribute to Barbra Streisand (Metropolitan Room); Jillian Laurain/Broadway Her Way (Don't Tell Mama)
PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT SINGING ENTERTAINER - MALE
JOE ARDIZZONE (Brandy's)
Bobby Belfry (Brandy's)
SEAN BERNARDI (Brandy's)
Tommy J. Dose (Don't Tell Mama)
PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT SINGING ENTERTAINER - FEMALE
Elaine Brier (Don't Tell Mama)
Michelle Dowdy (Don't Tell Mama)
Tara Martinez (Don't Tell Mama)
Lauren Mufson (Brandy's)
LAURA PAVLES (Don't Tell Mama)
PIANO BAR INSTRUMENTALIST
Nate Buccieri (The Duplex, Don't Tell Mama, Brandy's)
GERRY DIEFFENBACH (Don't Tell Mama, The Duplex)
William TN Hall (The Duplex, Don't Tell Mama, Brandy's)
MICHAEL ISAACS (Don't Tell Mama, The Duplex, Brandy's)
RECORDING (LaMott Friedman Award)
Stearns Matthews: December Songs
BOB MUNDY: Love to Me
Paul Rolnick: Shoot for The Moon
Josephine Sanges: Finding Beauty: Celebrating Ann Hampton Callaway"
MAJOR RECORDING
JUDY BARNETT: Lust Loss Love
Karen Mason: It's About Time
Doreen Montalvo: American Soul Latin Heart
SONG
"I CAN TELL TIME"
"MOUNTAIN IN THE SKY"
"NEVERTHELESS (SHE PERSISTED)"
"PLEASANTVILLE"
"STAY AWHILE"
COMEDY/NOVELTY SONG
"APPLY"
"GO INTO FINANCE"
"HEY, HEY, IT'S OK"
"MISTER PROMISED-ME-THE-MOON"
"QUIET"
SHOW OF THE YEAR
Natalie Douglas: Tributes Residency
Created by and starring Natalie Douglas, musical direction by Mark Hartman and Brian Nash (Birdland)
Cole Escola: Help! I'm Stuck
Created, written, and performed by Cole Escola (Joe's Pub)
A LIFE BEHIND BARS
Written and performed by Dan Ruth, directed by Tanya Moberly (Laurie Beechman Theatre)
THE SKIVVIES
Created by and starring Nick Cearley and Lauren Molina (Feinstein's/54 Below, Green Room 42, Joe's Pub)
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE: OUR CELEBRATION OF Tom Jones & Harvey Schmidt
Starring Carole Demas and Sarah Rice; directed by Charles Repole; musical director Joe Goodrich;
produced by Stuart J. Allyn (Laurie Beechman Theatre)
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