Feature: MAC AWARD RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED On Facebook Live
On Monday, March 30th, the 2020 MAC Awards were broadcast via Facebook Live from the living rooms or Lennie Watts and Amy Wolk/Lorinda Lisitza in a split-screen presentation in which The Three Stooges of Cabaret made their community of artists laugh with many hi-jinks, giggles, grins, silliness, and an ongoing series of the new MAC Award theme song, penned by Wolk and Lisitza themselves. The intent was to bring some levity to a difficult time in the world and, judging by the comment scroll during the home-made telecast, the hardworking trio tickled the funnybones of many. As names were announced, recipients called in to say a few words (apropos to the proceedings, Mr. Watts' telephone ringtone is the Benny Hill theme song) and particularly moving speeches from the proceedings came from Lisa Viggiano, Meg Flather, and Jeff Harnar. The entire show can be seen on Broadway World HERE. Results of the voting can be seen below.
We at Broadway World Cabaret would like to extend our most heartfelt congratulations to the nominees and the MAC recipients. You, like all the cabaret artists working so hard these days, deserve every accolade and every opportunity. As Ms. Viggiano said in her speech, the real win is being a member of the cabaret community. Well, done, one and all.
The 2020 MAC Award Recipients are:
FEMALE VOCALIST
From Lady Day to The Boss
Pangea, Don't Tell Mama
MALE VOCALIST
The Game of Life
MAJOR ARTIST - FEMALE
Take It With Me
Laurie Beechman Theatre, Pangea
MAJOR ARTIST - MALE
Carried Away: Jeff Harnar Sings Comden & Green; On the East Side of Heaven; Too Marvelous for Words: 1930s Songs; Because of You: Fifties Gold; Jeff Harnar Sings Cole Porter
Birdland Theater, The Beach Cafe, Laurie Beechman Theatre; BJ Ryan's Magnolia Room
NEW YORK DEBUT - FEMALE
REGINA ZONA
Becoming the Queen 2.0
The Triad, BJ Ryan's Magnolia Room, SOTA
NEW YORK DEBUT - MALE
Mario! A Salute to The Great Lanza
The Green Room 42
CELEBRITY ARTIST
Tributes series: Roberta Flack, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, Nancy Wilson, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell
Birdland, Feinstein's at the Nikko, The Pheasantry (London)
IMPERSONATION/CHARACTERIZATION/DRAG ARTIST
More Gurl Talk; Doris Dear Christmas Special
Don't Tell Mama, Music Theater of CT, Cherry Grove Community House Theater, The Triad
MAJOR IMPERSONATION/CHARACTERIZATION/DRAG ARTIST
The Ginger Snapped
MUSICAL COMEDY PERFORMER - FEMALE
LYNDA RODOLITZ
Animal Magnetism
MUSICAL COMEDY PERFORMER - MALE
Just Because
DUO/GROUP
THOSE GIRLS (Eve Eaton, Rachel Hanser, Karen Mack, Wendy A. Russell)
Those Girls Sing The Boys; An Evening with Those Girls; Those Girls Sing The Boys Volume 1.2 Unplugged
Laurie Beechman Theatre, BJ Ryan's Magnolia Room, Pangea
MAJOR DUO/GROUP
Sean Harkness, Marcus Simeone, Lina Koutrakos
Clearly Now Season 2
Don't Tell Mama, Urban Stages
PIANO BAR INSTRUMENTALIST
Don't Tell Mama, Brandy's, The Duplex
PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT SINGING ENTERTAINER FEMALE
PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT SINGING ENTERTAINER MALE
Brandy's
RESTAURANT/HOTEL LOUNGE/HAPPY HOUR ENTERTAINER
ENSEMBLE INSTRUMENTALIST
Sean Harkness, guitar
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 25th Anniversary Show (Feinstein's/54 Below), Lucille Carr-Kaffashan/How the Light Gets In (Don't Tell Mama), Kathleen Turner/Finding My Voice (Arena Stage), Vocalmania (Birdland Theater, Zinc Bar), Ronny Whyte Quartet (Jazz at Kitano)
RECURRING SERIES
Ricky Ritzel'S BROADWAY
Created and produced by Ricky Ritzel, staging and choreography by Jay Rogers and Aaron Morishita
SPECIAL PRODUCTION
Meg Flather SONGS: A CABARET SISTERHOOD
Written and produced by Meg Flather, directed by Lennie Watts, musical direction by Tracy Stark
EMCEE
I Only Have Lies for You
Laurie Beechman Theatre
DIRECTOR
Those Girls/Those Girls Sing The Boys (Laurie Beechman Theatre), Lynda Rodolitz/Animal Magnetism (Don't Tell Mama), Meg Flather/Outbound Plane (Don't Tell Mama, Urban Stages), Meg Flather Songs; A Cabaret Sisterhood (Don't Tell Mama)
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Ann Hampton Callaway and Liz Callaway/Broadway the Calla-Way (Feinstein's/54 Below), Joanne Halev/Like a Perfumed Woman (Birdland Theater), Ann Kittredge/Fancy Meeting You Here: An Evening of Ahrens & Flaherty (Feinstein's/54 Below, Urban Stages, Feinstein's at Vitello's), Karen Akers/Sing the Shadows Away (Urban Stages, The Beach Cafe), Ari Axelrod, Celia Berk, Kevin Dozier, Karen Oberlin/Four for the Holidays (The Beach Cafe)
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Jean-Pierre Perreaux - The Laurie Beechman Theatre
Mark Nadler/The Old Razzle Dazzle, Jennifer Barnhart/It's About Time, Eric Michael Gillett/Stop This Train, KT Sullivan and Jeff Harnar/Sullivan and Harnar sing Harnick and Strouse, Dawn Derow/The House That Built Me
SONG
LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE IN LOVE
Music by Alex Rybeck, lyrics by Bob Levy
COMEDY/NOVELTY SONG
STRAIGHT GIRL IN THE GAY BAR
Music and lyrics by Billy Recce
MAJOR RECORDING
Take It With Me
SHOW OF THE YEAR
Piano Bar Live!
LAMOTT FRIEDMAN AWARD FOR RECORDING
Wendy Scherl You'll See
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AWARD
The Bistro Awards
Videos