2013 MAC Award Nominees Announced - Callaway, Rimalower & More

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs will present the 27th Annual MAC Awards on Thursday, March 21st, at B.B King Blues Club & Grill in New York City.

The theme of this year's show is Where Broadway Meets Cabaret. MAC is celebrating the strong ties between the Cabaret and Theater communities in New York.

Special honorees of the evening will include Penny Fuller and Tom Wopat, who will each receive Lifetime Achievement Awards from MAC and perform live at the show, and 54 BELOW, New York's newest hit nightclub, which will receive MAC's Board of Directors Award. In addition, a special Board of Directors Award will be presented in loving memory of long-time MAC Board member Ruth Kurtzman.

The show will be hosted by KT Sullivan. Musical Director is Tracy Stark, who will lead the MAC Awards Band. Lennie Watts is the Director, and Julie Miller is the Producer. Stage Manager is Amy Wolk. The MAC Awards show is open to the public. For tickets, visit www.MACnyc.com

THE NOMINEES FOR THE 27TH ANNUAL MAC AWARDS ARE:

FEMALE VOCALIST

• MARIEANN MERINGOLO, You Must Believe in Spring! - The Music of Michel Legrand
  Feinstein's
• TANYA MOBERLY, Tanya Lorraine Moberly Sings Barbra Joan Streisand with Steven Ray Watkins
  Don't Tell Mama
• Marissa Mulder, Illusions
  Metropolitan Room, Triad
• Stacy Sullivan, It's a Good Day - A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee
  Iridium, Don't Tell Mama, Metropolitan Room

MALE VOCALIST

• Frank Dain, The Magic of Mathis
  Metropolitan Room, Don't Tell Mama
• Bob Diamond, This Funny World
  Don't Tell Mama
• RICHARD HOLBROOK, Richard Holbrook Sings Burton Lane; Christmas in New York
  Metropolitan Room; Don't Tell Mama
• T. Oliver Reid, Drop Me Off in Harlem
  Feinstein's

MAJOR ARTIST

• Raissa Katona Bennett, Another Kind of Light
  Feinstein's
• Baby Jane Dexter, Rules of the Road
  Metropolitan Room
• Terese Genecco, Terese Genecco & Her Little Big Band
  Iridium
• ERIC Michael GillETT, I Won't Sing a Sondheim Song...or Will I?
  Laurie Beechman
• Lennie Watts, Bloody Bloody Lennie Watts
  Metropolitan Room, Duplex

NEW YORK DEBUT - FEMALE

• FRAN LEONARDIS, It Will Never Be That Way Again
  Metropolitan Room
• Alison Nusbaum, Ladies! A Raucous Homage to Mel Brooks' Broads
  Don't Tell Mama
• Stacie Perlman, The Story Underneath
  Metropolitan Room

NEW YORK DEBUT - MALE

• Harry Althaus, The Strip Show
  Don't Tell Mama, Duplex
• TOM DiMENNA, Who Loves You, Baby?
  The Huron Club
• Tym Moss, Girl, A Lopsided Tree Won't Ruin Christmas
  Players' Theatre
• Ben Rimalower, Patti Issues
  Duplex

CELEBRITY ARTIST

• Ann Hampton Callaway, The Streisand Songbook
  54 Below, Boston Pops, Seneca Hotel (Niagara Falls)
• Marilyn Maye, The Happiest Sound in Town
  Feinstein's
• Sharon McNight, Men of Note; Twisted Xmas
  Metropolitan Room, Rrazz Room; Don't Tell Mama
• Mark Nadler, I'm a Stranger Here Myself
  54 Below, Adelaide Cabaret Festival

MUSICAL COMEDY PERFORMER

• Stearns Matthews, That's How Young I Feel; The Importance of Being STEARNSest
  Don't Tell Mama
• Colleen McHugh, Calendar Girl
  Duplex
• Adam Shapiro, Guide to the Perfect Breakup; Adam Shapiro Twists the Classics
  Duplex; North Hill Auditorium (Needham, MA)
• JIM SPEAKE, Jim Speake Sings 'til the Cows Come Home
  Don't Tell Mama

DUO/GROUP

• Lorinda Lisitza & TED STAFFORD, The Ted & Lo Show
  Metropolitan Room, Path Café, Don't Tell Mama
• Sue Matsuki & EDD CLARK, It's Us Again! The Music of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé; Sue & Edd's Fabulous Christmas Show
  Don't Tell Mama, Le Chateau (South Salem); Don't Tell Mama, Community Church of Wurtsboro
• Mary Liz McNamara & Ritt Henn, Take That! Tunes by McNamara & Henn
  Duplex, NY Society for Ethical Culture

MAJOR DUO/GROUP

• Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano, Three for the Road; I Hear Music: A Burton Lane Centennial Songbook; Summer in the City; The Night Has a Thousand Eyes;and others
  Triad, Café Sabarsky, Kitano, 54 Below, Metropolitan Room
• Shaynee Rainbolt & DONN TRENNER, Two for the Road
  Metropolitan Room, Union City Performing Arts Center
• KT Sullivan & Karen Kohler, Vienna to Weimar
  Triad

REVUE

• BOYS NIGHT OUT:-THE MUSIC OF THE RAT PACK, Written by Danny Bolero, directed by Joseph Macchia
  Metropolitan Room
• SMILE ON MY FACE: THE SONGS OF RICHARD EISENBERG, Produced and written by Richard Eisenberg, dialogue and direction by Peter Napolitano, musical direction by Barry Levitt
  Laurie Beechman, Etcetera Etcetera, Urban Stages
• TONIGHT, NEW YORK CITY...THE Rick Jensen SONGBOOK, Written, musical directed, and hosted by Rick Jensen, directed by Lina Koutrakos
  Metropolitan Room

SPECIAL PRODUCTION / VARIETY PRODUCTION/RECURRING SERIES

• DUOS, Produced and hosted by Sean Harkness
  Metropolitan Room
• METROSTAR TALENT CHALLENGE, Produced by the Metropolitan Room and Beck Lee, hosted by Tom Gamblin
  Metropolitan Room
• MUSIC AT THE MANSION, Produced by Nicholas Adler and Corinna Sowers-Adler, hosted by Corinna Sowers-Adler
  Oakeside Bloomfield Cultural Center
• NY SHEET MUSIC SOCIETY PROGRAMS, Produced and hosted by Linda Amiel Burns
  Local 802 Musicians Hall

OPEN MIC

• MOSTLY SONDHEIM, Hosted by Brian Nash, Emily McNamara, Ben Cameron
  Duplex
• SALON, Founder/Artistic Director/Host: Mark Janas; Executive Producer: Tanya Moberly
  Etcetera Etcetera
• SINGERS FORUM OPEN MIC NIGHT, Produced by the Singers Forum, hosted by John Koprowski
  Singers Forum

HOST - VARIETY SHOW/SERIES OR OPEN MIC

• Tom Gamblin, MetroStar Talent Challenge
  Metropolitan Room
• Mark Janas, Salon
  Etcetera Etcetera
• Dana Lorge, Wednesday Night at the Iguana
  Iguana

BENEFIT SERIES

• CABARET CARES, Produced by Joseph Macchia; to benefit Help Is On The Way Today
  Laurie Beechman
• THE CONCERTS FOR CITY GREENS, Executive Producer Raissa Katona Bennet;, Associate Producer Dr. Garrett Bennett; to benefit Tudor City Greens
  Tudor City Greens
• WINTER RHYTHMS 2012 Peter Napolitano, Producer; Frances Hill, Artistic Director; to benefit Urban Stages Outreach Program
  Urban Stages

PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT SINGING ENTERTAINER

• Tommy J. Dose
  Don't Tell Mama
• MARIA GENTILE
  Duplex
• Michael Kirk Lane
  Don't Tell Mama

PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT INSTRUMENTALIST

• Nate Buccieri
  Don't Tell Mama, Brandy's, Duplex
• William TN Hall
  Don't Tell Mama, Duplex, Uncle Charlie's
• Brian Nash
  Duplex
• Bill Zeffiro
  La Mediterranée

MUSICAL DIRECTOR

• Barry Levitt
  Robert Cuccioli (Birdland), Charlotte Patton (Duplex), Lauren Robert (Iridium), Adam Shapiro (Duplex), Anthony Santelmo Jr. (Don't Tell Mama), Smile on My Face (Laurie Beechman, Etcetera Etcetera, Urban Stages), Tonya Pinkins (54 Below), Broadway Swings: Terese Genecco, Natalie Douglas, Scott Coulter (54 Below)
• Tracy Stark
  Boys Night Out (Metropolitan Room), Tanya Holt (Metropolitan Room), Barb Jungr (Metropolitan Room), 2012 MAC Awards (BB King's), Marcus Simeone (Metropolitan Room), Cabaret Cares (Laurie Beechman)
• Steven Ray Watkins
  Lennie Watts (Metropolitan Room, Duplex), Amy Wolk (Duplex), Jim Speake (Don't Tell Mama)

DIRECTOR

• ERIC Michael GillETT
  Sheera Ben-David (Feinstein's), Showstoppers! benefit series (Laurie Beechman), Marieann Meringolo (Feinstein's), Raissa Katona Bennett (Feinstein's)
• Lina Koutrakos
  Rick Jensen's Tonight New York City (Metropolitan Room), Mardi Grant (Duplex), Devin Bing (Metropolitan Room)
• LISA MOSS
  2012 Duplex Gala (Duplex), From Book to Broadway (Duplex), Social Intercourse (Duplex)
• Peter Napolitano
  Hopelessly in Love: The Lyrics of Tom Toce (Metropolitan Room, Urban Stages), Smile on my Face: The Songs of Richard Eisenberg (Laurie Beechman, Etcetera Etcetera, Urban Stages, Adam Shapiro: Guide to the Perfect Breakup (Duplex), Fran Leonardis (Metropolitan Room)
• Gretchen Reinhagen
  Bob Diamond (Don't Tell Mama), Marcia Roney (Metropolitan Room, Don't Tell Mama), Donna Hayes (Laurie Beechman, Don't Tell Mama), Irenka Jakubiak (Don't Tell Mama)

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

• Jason Ellis
  Jeff Macauley, Marc McBarron Kessler & J. Michael Reeds, Stacy Sullivan, Alison Nusbaum (Don't Tell Mama)
• Jean-Pierre Perreaux
  Marilyn Maye, Amanda McBroom, Yvonne Constant, Annie Ross (Metropolitan Room)
• TED STAFFORD
  Lorinda Lisitza: Triumphant Baby, Loni Ackerman, Lauren Fox, Pamela Luss (Metropolitan Room)

SONG

• ALL I SAW WAS YOU
  Music by Ben Wexler, lyrics by Mark Sonnenblick
• DO YOU THINK OF ME?
  Music and lyrics by Ryan Langer
• IT'S ABOUT TIME
  Music and lyrics by Shelly Markham & Paul Rolnick
• MOVIN' ON
  Music and lyrics by Andrew Sotomayor
• TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN
  Music by Steve Marzullo, lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz

SPECIAL MUSICAL MATERIAL

• BYE-BYE, ALOHA, YO!
  Music by Jeff Lazarus, lyrics by Tom Toce
• DON'T ASK ME TO BLEND
  Music by Peter Mills, lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz
• 84 YEARS OLD
  Music and lyrics by Drew Fornarola
• MY KIND OF GUY
  Music and lyrics by Bill Zeffiro
• SUBWAY CRUSH
  Music and lyrics by Patrick Dwyer

RECORDING (LaMott Friedman Award)

• Terese Genecco
  Live from the Iridium
• Colleen McHugh
  Prêt-à-Porter: Cole Porter's French Connections
• T. Oliver Reid
  Do I Love You
• JANE SCHECKTER
  Easy to Remember
• Stacy Sullivan
  It's a Good Day - A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee

SHOW OF THE YEAR

• Ann Hampton Callaway - The Streisand Songbook, Directed by Dan Foster
  54 Below, Boston Pops, Seneca Hotel (Niagara Falls)
• Mark Nadler - I'm a Stranger Here Myself
  54 Below, Adelaide Cabaret Festival
• Ben Rimalower - Patti Issues, Written and performed by Ben Rimalower, Directed by Aaron Mark
  Duplex
• Stacy Sullivan - It's a Good Day - A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee, Jon Weber, Music Director
  Iridium, Don't Tell Mama, Metropolitan Room