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Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield

Broadway World spent a month at the MAC Awards on Tuesday night.

By: Apr. 15, 2022
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Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  ImageOn April 12th the Manhattan Association of Cabarets presented the thirty-sixth annual MAC Awards. The organization handed out thirty-three trophies - some honors like Lifetime Achievement Awards and Board of Directors Awards were bestowed by committee, while others were voted on by cardholders in the membership-based organization. Artists from the cabaret community dressed in their celebratory best and filled the chairs at the Symphony Space on Manhattan's Upper West Side, where the indefatigable staff of the venue was most diligent in their efforts to remind guests of the prudence of remaining masked for the entire evening.

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Jeff Harnar and Jon Weber

With a start time of 7 pm, the MAC members arrived early to visit with one another before the actual awards were handed out, and the program was off to a promising start, with Jeff Harnar opening the show with a musical number led by Jon Weber, sharing the stage with Musical Director Yasuhiko Fukuoka, Josh Roberts on drums, and Sean Murphy on guitar. It was a splendid foreshadowing of what might have been a fine night but that, sadly, ended up being an uncomfortable evening without food or water, lasting over four hours. By the third hour, presenters prefaced their award-show banter with comments like "Good morning!" and "We're almost there!" and award recipients abbreviated their speeches with qualifiers like "I'll be quick because it's late and we should all be sleeping." It was a sad state of affairs that marred what might, otherwise, have been a memorable evening, but that most will simply remember as the MAC Awards that was longer than a Lord of the Rings movie. It was an unfortunate miscalculation in over-programming the show's entertainment with too many musical numbers and unnecessary, lengthy video presentations. There is a point at which being ambitious becomes a hindrance to the enjoyment of an event like this, and this was one of those occasions. Naturally, the MAC organization had no control over the length of acceptance speeches but it would have been wise to have a protocol in place for award recipients so inconsiderate as to believe that a speech longer than five minutes is even remotely acceptable - perhaps the producer and director of the show could have arranged something akin to when the Oscars begin playing music to flag a winner that they have overstayed their welcome. Hopefully, a lesson was learned on this night, and future presentations of the Award Ceremony will be more carefully planned, with fewer production numbers, with zero video presentations, with presenters being urged to err on the side of brevity rather than lean into the need for cleverness, and with winners being cautioned on the disrespect of embarrassingly voluble speeches.

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Sidney Myer and Sean Murphy

Performance highlights of the evening included Nicolas King's tribute to Mike Renzi, Julie Gold's tribute to Nanci Griffith, THOSE GIRLS' tribute to Rick Jensen, and the always astonishing Sidney Myer singing "Peel Me A Grape."

Acceptance speech highlights included first-time winners Rian Keating, Roderick Ferguson, Mardie Millit, and, especially, her husband Michael Garin who simply tearfully thanked the love of his life, Mardie. A particularly special moment occurred when teary-eyed presenter Tommy J. Dose gave the MAC Award for Piano Bar/Restaurant Singing Entertainer Male to his friend, the equally teary-eyed and totally caught-off-guard Brian Kalinowski.

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Klea Blackhurst

Klea Blackhurst deserves a prize, herself, for awards-presenter patter admonishing winners to kindly avoid the absurd tendency to say that their win is unexpected. "There are three names on this envelope - there's a one in three chance you will win. This isn't unexpected." Appreciative waves of laughter and applause rolled up to Blackhurst on the stage for her humor and honesty.

Best-dressed for the evening included the women of THOSE GIRLS in individually appropriate cocktail black, Flotilla DeBarge in a shock of royal blue ruffles, Leanne Borghesi in Tuxedo Couture, Darnell White in flowing beige tunic, Dorian Woodruff in purple velvet and gold jewelry, Aaron Lee Battle in dapper gold brocade, Yasuhiko Fukuoka in sleek tailored suit, Tara Martinez in sassy black cocktail dress, Anna Anderson in head-to-toe silver sparkle, Lorinda Lisitza in two different but matching gowns for the red carpet and for the stage, and MAC President Amy Wolk in black pantsuit and varying shoes, depending on whether she was being a stage manager or presenter.

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Especially moving was nearly back-to-back presentations in which Velvet-draped Linda Lavin introduced the Show of the Year Award to natty Jim Caruso, who, minutes later, presented chic Chita Rivera with her own honor. It was a strong display of family in the arts and the importance of continuity and solidarity.

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

The ultimate highlights of the evening, though, were the two Lifetime Achievement recipients, Marta Sanders (who accepted her award at the end of Act One) and Miss Chita Rivera (who was honored near the end of Act Two). Both ladies gave speeches that were elegant and eloquent, inspiring and entertaining, and both stars were the epitome of grace and glamor, and even Broadway maven Ben Cameron remarked on the marvel that is Marta, after seeing Sanders perform two songs best described as Boffo.

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Broadway World Cabaret salutes all of the cabaret artists who were singled out by the MAC community by way of nominations for their work, congratulates those who took home trophies, and invites Broadway World readers to enjoy photojournalist Helane Blumfield's photographic documentary, below, of the 36th annual MAC Awards.

The MAC Award trophy distributors were Analisa Bell and Can Yasar, and can be seen in several of these photos.

For a complete list of winners click HERE.

See Genevieve Rafter Keddy's red carpet photography HERE.

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Jeff Harnar
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Tovah Feldshuh and Jeff Harnar
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Nicolas King
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Yasuhiko Fukuoka
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Rian Keating
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
THOSE GIRLS: Wendy Russell, Rachel Hanser, Karen Mack and Eve Eaton and Steven Ray Watkins
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Joe Iconis
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Carolyn German
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Paul Rolnick and David Friedman
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Dawn Derow
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Karen Mason
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Julie Gold
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Lennie Watts
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Charlie Kiernan
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Shawn Moninger and Michael Barbieri
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Tracy Stark
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Lina Koutrakos
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Jonathan Hoover
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Michael Kirk Lane
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Matt Scharfglass and Michael Holland
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Matt Scharfglass
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Amy Wolk
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Aaron Lee Battle
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Roderick Ferguson and Tanya Moberly
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Natalie Douglas
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Mark Nadler
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Marta Sanders

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Tara Martinez, Liz Lark Brown and Yasuhiko Fukuoka
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Anna Anderson and Maria Gentile with Sean Murphy
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
TRex and Josh Roberts
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Tommy J. Dose and Ruby Rims
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Ricky Ritzel
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Brian Kalinowski
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Michael McAssey and Ruby Rims
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Karen Mason and Michael Holland
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Doris Dear
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Cissy Walken
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Leanne Borghesi

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Linda Lavin

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Jim Caruso

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Frank Dain
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Sidney Myer
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Ben Cameron
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Ian McQueen, Elizabeth Fahshendy, Tori Vitucci, Raynner Garcia: Cabaret On The Couch
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Mardie Millit and Michael Garin
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Lina Koutrakos and Marcus Simeone: Clearly Now

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  ImageReview: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Chita Rivera

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Sean Patrick Murtagh
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Amy Beth Williams
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
Lorinda Lisitza
Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  Image
David Sabella

About Helane Blumfield:

Review: MAC AWARDS CEREMONY at Symphony Space Featuring The Photography of Helane Blumfield  ImageTHEY CALL ME H. I love what I do and do what I love. Create amazing content. Wow, the world. Have fun doing it. My mantra, my way. It all happens when passion is your driver and your inner fire is ignited. How lucky am I to have been able to apply these simple guides to my life work! I am a nationally recognized creative visionary who has navigated the world of design and advertising most recently as the SVP Creative for Macy's. My passion for expression continues to explore new possibilities in visual communications and performance. Now inspired by the cabaret community I have once again found myself behind the lens and I couldn't be any more excited.



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