Feature: And The Nominees Are... BEST SPECIAL EVENT, SOLO

Every season in the cabaret and club industry, audiences are treated to special events. Sometimes the shows play a run of performances and others they play only once (sacrilege!) but the people who landed in the seats for those celebrations will always look back and remember being there for a show that had that extra something.

The Category Is BEST SPECIAL EVENT, SOLO

Anthony Nunziata - The Birthday Bash Concert - The Green Room 42: Crooner and pop singer on the rise, Anthony Nunziata celebrated his birthday will a one-night-only concert directed by his brother, up and coming film and television director Will Nunziata. Anthony performed an intimate concert for forty or fifty of his closest friends and biggest fans in an evening people won't soon forget.

Kristen Lee Sergeant - SMOLDER CD Release - Birdland Theater: When jazz genius Kristen Lee Sergeant released her album SMOLDER there was a celebration at the Birdland Theater that filled every seat in the house. Sergeant suggested it might be because she was performing alongside iconic saxophonist Ted Nash, but the people in the seats would say that, while there is a certain magic that happens between them, Kristen Lee Sergeant can sell her own tickets... and her own cds, too.

Hannah Jane - LEADING LADIES - Birdland Theater: Prodigy on the scene and star on the rise, Hannah Jane set aside her usual act to perform a one-night-only concert based on a literary release with which she had no associations... except for a devotion to the subject of the book. In one of the most original and memorable shows to hit the nightclub stages, HJ opened the book A IS FOR AUDRA and went from cover to cover, singing the songs of the Broadway divas who inspire her. It was, in a word, inspirational.

Lillias White - A Lillias White Christmas - The Green Room 42: Only a woman with a voice and personality as big as Lillias White's could provide a holiday entertainment as spectacular as this one. Performing at standing room only capacity, the Tony Award recipient left no stone unturned in her effort to give her fans the best Christmas present ever. The thank you notes are, surely, still coming in.

Gabrielle Stravelli - Picking Up My Pieces: Gabrielle Stravelli Sings Willie Nelson CD Release - Birdland: When one of the most unique and individual jazz musicians on the scene today decides to sing the music of one of the most unique and individual country musicians of all time, it is a special event. When the show is to celebrate the release of a CD of jazz/country music, it is beyond special - it is unforgettable.

Melissa Manchester - Celebrating "The Fellas" CD Release - Birdland: One of history's great singer-songwriters, Manchester chose Birdland as the setting for a concert honoring her new cd, an album of songs honoring her favorite male vocalists. Audiences always turn out when Ms. Manchester steps onstage for a live performance, and this one-night-only event was no exception.

Though not a clip from her nominated show, which we could not find represented online, here is Melissa Manchester in action on the Birdland stage, courtesy of the Jim Caruso Facebook page: Click HERE.

Sidney Myer - New Year's Eve With Sidney Myer - Pangea: Too unassuming to agree on the matter, Sidney Myer is hailed by all in the cabaret and club community as a legend. And though he isn't a legend on the same scale as Judy Garland, one of the industry's journalists once said he is the Judy Garland of cabaret. Ok, that was me - but everyone agrees. With humor and heart, Sidney Myer returned to the stage in recent years and his New Year's Eve concert sold out in record time. Though the clip below is not from the nominated performance, the number Mr. Myer sings in the video is one he includes in every show -- if he doesn't, people want their money back.

Marilyn Maye - New Year's Eve Extravaganza - Birdland Theater: Arguably the greatest living saloon singer the industry has, Marilyn Maye loves New Year's Eve. She has a history of throwing huge parties on December 31st, and the clubs she plays on those nights are so grateful because it is always a sure sell-out. With good reason, too, because it's the party of the year. Here's a look at her 2016 New Year's Eve show:

Kenn Boisinger - The New Voice of Christmas - Birdland: Kenn Boisinger burst on the scene last year with a series of shows and special events that didn't just introduce him to the clubgoers, it grabbed him a huge number of new fans, in the audience and in the community. The creation of Michael West, Kenn Boisinger is the comedic voice the people want right now, whatever the subject of the show. Though not a clip from his nominated show, below Kenn Boisinger can be seen in action at Cast Party.

Max von Essen - Call Me Old Fashioned CD Release Celebration - Birdland: There's nothing like a Broadway Leading Man - and Max von Essen is nothing like a Broadway Leading Man. No, this is a Broadway, concert, cabaret, and recording Leading Man! Suave, sophisticated, dashing, and debonair, Mr. von Essen always captures an elegance of entertainment from a bygone era - that's part of what makes special events like the release of a cd even more special.

Sally Mayes... After All - The Birthday Concert - Birdland Theater: When Tony-Award nominated singing actress Sally Mayes turned sixty, she threw herself a party at the Birdland Theater. With over an hour of entertainment, Sally proved to a full house why she has had the staying power, why she made it to the big stages in the first place, and why she won't be going anywhere anytime soon. Though the clip below is not from the nominated show, the number she sings was performed in The Birthday Concert. Read Stephen Mosher's review of The Birthday Concert HERE.

Which special event was most special to you? Vote for your favorite HERE.

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