Billie Roe News

The 2017 MAC Award winners were revealed last night at the 31st MAC Awards on Tuesday, March 28, 2017 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill, New York City. Take a look at the full list of winners below!

MAC and Broadway World Award winning performer, Kim Sutton, brings a bold new show, "Live to Tell, " a theatrical event conceived and created by Kim Sutton, Steven Ray Watkins, and Lennie Watts, to the Laurie Beechman Theatre this March for three performances. The "mischievous blonde bombshell and rebellious rabble-rouser," as she was described by Broadway World, celebrates her life with an eclectic musical set that samples 48 tunes by Madonna. Sutton recounts her childhood, years as a sailor, three brain surgeries and her 'inevitable transformation into a woman of substance."  Now recovered and well, Sutton pulls out all the stops in a show that's part intimate cabaret, part spectacle and part theater.  

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) has announced the 2017 MAC Award nominees.

MAC and Broadway World Award winning performer, Kim Sutton, brings a bold new show, "Live to Tell, " a theatrical event conceived and created by Kim Sutton, Steven Ray Watkins, and Lennie Watts, to the Laurie Beechman Theatre this March for three performances. The "mischievous blonde bombshell and rebellious rabble-rouser," as she was described by Broadway World, celebrates her life with an eclectic musical set that samples 48 tunes by Madonna. Sutton recounts her childhood, years as a sailor, three brain surgeries and her 'inevitable transformation into a woman of substance."  Now recovered and well, Sutton pulls out all the stops in a show that's part intimate cabaret, part spectacle and part theater.  

Billie Roe's uniquely provocative musical show MONOPOLY: SINGING THE LIVES FROM BALTIC AVENUE TO BOARDWALK, combines biting political commentary, humanity, and humor with songs by composers as diverse as Kurt Weill, Alan Jay Lerner, Stephen Sondheim, Tom Waits, Rickie Lee Jones, Pink Floyd, and Bono from U2. Roe's pithy and poignant script brings the people who reside within one of the world's most popular board games to life. MONOPOLY has earned Roe a BroadwayWorld.com Cabaret Award Nomination for 'Best Show, Female.' Directed by multiple Award-winning cabaret star Mark Nadler, with music direction by Steven Ray Watkins (the two combined on the show's musical arrangements), Billie Roe's MONOPOLY moves to Don't Tell Mama (343 West 46th St, New York, NY) on February 12 and 19, 2017, both shows at 5:30 PM. For reservations, call: 212-757-0788

Cabaret Life Productions Owner Stephen Hanks has announced that NEW YORK CABARET'S GREATEST HITS, the BroadwayWorld.com Award Nominated monthly series at New York's Metropolitan Room (34 West 22nd Street) he launched (with Associate Producer Fr. Jeffrey Hamblin, MD) in August, 2105, will present productions of eight Award-winning or critically acclaimed shows of the past during 2017. The series' new season will open on Monday, February 13 at 7 pm with Jenna Esposito's MAC Award-Nominated 2009 Connie Francis Tribute Show, Jenna Esposito Sings Connie Francis , followed by Adam Shapiro's 2013 MAC Award-Winning Guide to the Perfect Breakup on Wednesday, March 15 at 7 pm.

Urban Stages has confirmed the line-up for this year's award-winning series, WINTER RHYTHMS 2016, which will begin tomorrow, Thursday, December 1, and will feature some of New York's best musical performances through Sunday, December 11, 2016 at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street, just East of 8th Avenue).

BroadwayWorld Cabaret is pleased to announce the nominees in 14 categories for the 2016 BWW New York Cabaret Awards.

Urban Stages has announced the line-up for this year's Award Winning series, WINTER RHYTHMS 2016, which will begin Thursday, December 1 and will feature some of New York's best musical performances through Sunday, December 11, 2016 at Urban Stages Theatre (259 West 30th Street, just East of 8th Avenue).

They say that home is where the heart is, and this show, with Musical Direction by Steven Ray Watkins and Direction by Lennie Watts proves just that. With a wide range of music, from Cyndi Lauper, to Jerry Herman, and The Muppets to The Spice Girls Castillo will make you feel right at home! Backup vocals by award winning vocalist Karen Mack and MAC award nominee Wendy Ann Russell. 

When singer Billie Roe returned to performing in 2012 after a nearly 30-year hiatus, she set the New York cabaret scene on fire, winning the annual MetroStar Talent Challenge at the Metropolitan Room and capturing a 2012 Bistro Award for "Outstanding Theme Show" for her compelling Dangerous Women: Life In Film Noir. Roe quickly followed that up with her critically acclaimed Tom Waits Tribute Show 1978 NYC Underground, which earned her another Bistro Award and also a 2014 MAC Award for "Best Female Vocalist." Now Billie is back again, this time with a uniquely provocative musical show, MONOPOLY: SINGING THE LIVES FROM BALTIC AVENUE TO BOARDWALK, that combines biting political commentary, humanity, and humor with songs by composers as diverse as Kurt Weill, Alan Jay Lerner, Stephen Sondheim, Tom Waits, Rickie Lee Jones, Pink Floyd, and Bono from U2. Roe continues her three-show run on October 15 and November 20, both shows at 7 pm.

?The Metropolitan Room erupted into wild cheers when David Baida was announced as the next MetroStar last night. 

Five exceptional and well-matched singers were chosen to advance as finalists in this year's MetroStar Talent Challenge on Monday.

After BroadwayWorld launched its New York Cabaret Awards in 2012, the cabaret section's editors realized that the selected categories and the popular vote nature of the election didn't adequately recognize some great performances and shows for that particular year. So in 2013, BWW added "Editor's Choice Awards" to the mix to not only reward special performances but also to acknowledge people who have helped grow cabaret and foster the spirit of the art form. This year, BWW New York Cabaret Editor Stephen Hanks and his reviewing staff-including Alix Cohen, David Clarke, Billie Roe, Rembert Block, and John Hoglund-selected seven stars of cabaret for this special honor. Now that the Awards for 2015 performances and shows are official, we wanted to tell you a bit about this year's "Editor's Choice Award" winners and offer them a chance to thank the New York cabaret community. Congratulations to all these worthy Award recipients.

Happy Thanksgiving Day, Cabaret Fans! Here's some breaking news you can discuss and debate in between courses at tonight's dinner: It's the final nominees for the 2015 BroadwayWorld New York Cabaret Awards. This year, the cabaret editors and writers at BWW have cited 116 nominees (including duos and variety show/recurring series producers) in 14 categories. In addition, this year six performers or musicians have been cited for special “Editor's Choice Awards,” led by veteran New York cabaret stars Karen Mason and Mark Nadler who have been named “Performers of the Year.”

It's time to go MAC to School! The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) is pleased to announce our first-ever Cabaret Bootcamp weekend. It's a two-day cabaret event filled with workshops, classes, seminars, mingling, food, drink, and MAC swag!

It's time to go MAC to School! The Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC) is pleased to announce our first-ever Cabaret Bootcamp weekend. It's a two-day cabaret event filled with workshops, classes, seminars, mingling, food, drink, and MAC swag!

 Minda Larsen eeked out a MetroStar win last night, finishing on top of a strong and tightly matched Top Five line-up in a spellbinding contest finale at the Metropolitan Room.  To win the 8th annual MetroStar Talent Challenge Larsen captivated the judges with her confessional and inspirational story of having competed in the contest three other times (unsuccessfully) and dramatically changing her attitude about her work this time around.  The attitude adjustment succeeded as Larsen soared in the finale, beating out the delightful everyman Thomas Dieter (1st runner-up) and gloriously-voiced Josephine Sanges (2nd runner up). The two other Top 5 finalists were Lisa Remick and April Leonhard.

 In nail-bitingly close voting Monday night, the MetroStar Talent Challenge bid farewell to two audience favorites in a hotly contested semi-final round.  Let go by the jury were the contest's popular 9th grader Josephine Bianco and the veteran piano bar performer Sheree Sano.

The 2015 'MetroStar Talent Challenge' is extending its deadline for applications to July 4 and adding new mentoring to help competitors up their games during the 7-week contest. The eighth annual edition of the summer tradition runs for seven consecutive Mondays, from July 6 through August 17.  All contestants must certify that they will be available to compete throughout the jury-and audience-voted, elimination-round competition.