At the 2007 Nightlife Awards...

Every year, fans of New York's many nightlife scenes descend en masse upon the Town Hall to celebrate the singers, musicians and comedians who make certain the city that never sleeps has a reason to stay up all night. The Nightlife Awards aren't only about cabaret, jazz or comedy. They celebrate the best entertainment all over New York, and this week's ceremony at Town Hall was a plethora of the top talent the city has to offer.

While the entire evening was wonderfully delightful, some of the best moments, in no particular order, included:

*Outstanding Cabaret Revue/Group/Variety Performance winners Scott Coulter, Tom Andersen, and Tim Di Pasqua singing "Already Standing on the Ground" from their show Southern Comfort: A Down-Home Country Music Jamboree.

*Outstanding Cabaret Musical Comedy/Characterization Performance winner Lorinda Lisitza's perfectly deadpan "Yolanda at the Bottom of the Stairs" (from her show Triumphant Baby: The Songs of Iconis and Maddock) that would have had Lotte Lenya seething in jealousy.

*Liza Minnelli's earnest and eager introduction of Jim Caruso, honoree for his Broadway at Birdland series.

*Outstanding Male Jazz Vocalist Freddy Cole singing a sly and sensual "What Are You Afraid Of?" Musical talent must be etched into that family's DNA.

*Outstanding Female Jazz Vocalist Paula West. She just keeps winning year after year, and every year, she reminds us why.

*Outstanding Duo/Group Cabaret Perform ance in a Major Engagement winner Christine Ebersole and Billy Stritch's beautifully jazzy "Surrey with a Fringe on Top" and powerfully haunting "Will You?" from Grey Gardens. Stritch's piano and backup vocals always add plenty of flavors to any song, and it was lovely to hear him harmonize with Ms. Ebersole in so many ways. (And can she add any more awards to her mantle this year?)

*Outstanding Cabaret Female Vocalist winner Lisa Asher's saucy and sassy "Big Twist." For those who haven't heard her jazz it up at the Laurie Beechman on Friday nights, this was a great way to be introduced to this very impressive newcomer.

*Husband-and-Wife team John Pizzarelli and Jessica Molaskey (winners for Outstanding Cabaret Female and Male Vocalists in a Major Engagement, respectively) giggling and flirting like teenagers as they approached the mike. Their brilliantly clever counterpoint of Jon Hendrucks' "Cloudburst" and Sondheim's "Getting Married Today" (a combination of 52nd Street and 42nd Street, as they called it) was utterly delightful. Here's looking forward to their upcoming gig at the Carlyle.

*Outstanding Cabaret Male Vocalist Scott Coulter could have stayed home and rested his voice as per his doctor's orders, or he could have simply performed with Tom Andersen and Tim Di Pasqua… but instead, he sang an emotional and haunting rendition of Jeff Blumenkranz's "I Won't Mind." All cheers and thanks to him for his dedication, but if he damaged his voice in any way, there are going to be a lot of very distressed fans. A lot.

*Daniel Reichert's self-deprecating humor before launching into a somewhat forced (but nonetheless lovely) medley of "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and "Moon River."

*Tom Wopat's sensual and jazzy "Cool" from West Side Story. Perfectly apropos for Mr. Wopat, whose suavity on stage is the very definition of cool.

Photographs courtesy of Maryann Lopinto

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