The 2012 ceremony, dedicated to The Year of the Songwriter, honored and paid tribute to five songwriters: Ervin Drake and David Friedman, who received MAC's Lifetime Achievement Awards; and Francesca Blumenthal, John Bucchino and Julie Gold, who received MAC's Board of Director Awards. Additionally, the Hanson Award was presented to Rosemary Loar.
The annual MAC Awards honor achievement in cabaret, comedy and jazz in Manhattan. Lennie Watts directed the evening, which was produced by Julie Miller.
The 2012 MAC Award nominees follow (winners' names are bolded with an asterisk):
FEMALE VOCALIST
Kim Grogg, One-Hit Wonder Woman
Don't Tell Mama *Janice Hall, Grand Illusions: The Music of Marlene Dietrich
Urban Stages
Sigali Hamberger, A Toast to Ava Gardner
Metropolitan Room
Shaynee Rainbolt
Ashford & Simpson's Sugar Bar, Blue Caravan, Pigalle, Tauranga National Jazz Festival (New Zealand), Waiheke Island International Jazz Festival (New Zealand)
Gretchen Reinhagen, Both Sides Now
Urban Stages, Don't Tell Mama
Billie Roe, Dangerous Women: Life in Film Noir
Don't Tell Mama
Jennifer Sheehan, You Made Me Love You – Celebrating 100 Years of the Great American Songbook
Metropolitan Room
Angela Shultz, Do Overs
Don't Tell Mama
Susan Winter, Piano, Bass & Dreams
Metropolitan Room
MALE VOCALIST
*Craig Pomranz, Love and the Weather
Metropolitan Room
Anthony Santelmo Jr., 4 Performances 4
Don't Tell Mama
Kim Smith, Misfit
Laurie Beechman, CaféSabarsky, Duane Park
MAJOR ARTIST – FEMALE or DUO
Eric Comstock & Barbara Fasano, Helluva Town: A New York Soundtrack; A Good Wedding: The Songs of Arlen & Mercer; Harlem Nocturne; Summer Standard Time
Oak Room at the Algonquin, The Knickerbocker Club, Triad, Rrazz Room (SF), Ocean House (Watch Hill, RI); Laurie Beechman; National Jazz Museum of Harlem; Laurie Beechman
*Terese Genecco, Terese Genecco & Her Little Big Band
Iridium
Julie Reyburn, Winter Songs
Feinstein's, Etcetera Etcetera
MAJOR ARTIST – MALE
*Eric Michael Gillett, Cast of Thousands: Gillett Sings Carnelia
Laurie Beechman
Sean Harkness
Urban Stages, The Players Club, Music at the Mansion, Village Coffee Shop, WTC Visitors Center, Madison Avenue Baptist Church
Mark Nadler, Crazy 1961
Laurie Beechman, Adelaide Cabaret Festival
Ricky Ritzel, Ingenue
Don't Tell Mama
CELEBRITY ARTIST
*Marilyn Maye, It's Maye in May
Feinstein's
Andrea Marcovicci, No Strings
Oak Room at the Algonquin
Amanda McBroom, Strange Days
Metropolitan Room
KT Sullivan, Rhyme, Women and Song
Oak Room at the Algonquin
NEW YORK DEBUT – FEMALE
Lynly Forrest, Paid in Full
Don't Tell Mama
*Lauren Fox, Here's to Love; Love, Lust, Fear & Freedom: The Songs of Joni Mitchell & Leonard Cohen
Metropolitan Room
Marya Zimmet, Feels Right
Don't Tell Mama, Metropolitan Room
NEW YORK DEBUT – MALE
Frank Basile, Memories Are Made of This
Metropolitan Room
Joey Infante, Babalu
Metropolitan Room, Triad, Don't Tell Mama
*T. Oliver Reid, This Love I Know
Metropolitan Room
MUSICAL COMEDY PERFORMER / IMPERSONATION / CHARACTERIZATION
*Joan Jaffe, Joan Jaffe's MAN-ha-ha-ha-TAN
Don't Tell Mama
Hedda Lettuce, Lettuce Rejoice
Metropolitan Room
Colleen McHugh
Duplex (Calendar Girl series), Metropolitan Room, Birdland
DUO/GROUP
*Tommy Femia and Rick Skye, Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli Live!
Don't Tell Mama
Sue Matsuki and Edd Clark, Sue & Edd's Fabulous Christmas Show
Don't Tell Mama, Madison Avenue Baptist Church, Community Church of Wurtsboro (NY)
Barbara Porteus and Barry Levitt, I Wish It So
Laurie Beechman, Feinstein's, Metropolitan Room
Uptown Express, Gotta Be This or That
Metropolitan Room, Tim McLoone's (Asbury Park)
VARIETY PRODUCTION/RECURRING SERIES
NY Sheet Music Society Programs, Produced by Linda Amiel Burns
Local 802 Musicians’ Hall
Sondheim Unplugged, Written, produced, directed, and hosted by Phil Geoffrey Bond
Laurie Beechman, Philipstown Depot Theatre
*Wednesday Night at the Iguana, Produced and hosted by Dana Lorge
Iguana
OPEN MIC
Metrojam, Produced by The Metropolitan Room, Jeff Leibowitz, Stan Gilbert, Jenna Esposito; Hosted by Jenna Esposito
Metropolitan Room
Mostly Sondheim, Hosted by Ben Cameron, Emily McNamara, Brian J. Nash
Duplex
*Salon, Created and hosted by Mark Janas; Produced by Tanya Moberly
Etcetera Etcetera
HOST – VARIETY SHOW/SERIES OR OPEN MIC
Phil Geoffrey Bond, Sondheim Unplugged; Simply Streisand; Broadway Swings; Sounds of the Season
Laurie Beechman, Philipstown Depot Theatre; Laurie Beechman; White Plains Performing Arts Center; White Plains Performing Arts Center
Jenna Esposito, MetroJam
Metropolitan Room
Mark Janas, Salon
Etcetera Etcetera
*Dana Lorge, Wednesday Night at the Iguana
Iguana
BENEFIT
*Cabaret Cares, Produced by Joseph Macchia; to benefit Help Is On The Way Today
Laurie Beechman
The Concerts at Tudor City Greens, Executive Producer Raissa Katona Bennet;, Associate Producers Dr. Garrett Bennett and Hector Coris; to benefit Tudor City Greens
Tudor City Greens
Love Makes the World Go 'Round, Produced by Broadway Concerts Direct (Sarah Rice & John Hiller) to benefit Zani's Furry Friends
Birdland, Laurie Beechman
Winter Rhythms Series, Artistic Director, Frances Hill; Peter Napolitano, Producer; to benefit Urban Stages Outreach Program
Urban Stages
REVUE / SPECIAL PRODUCTION
Cougars on the Prowl, Produced by Cape Cod Cabaret/Patricia Fitzpatrick; Written by Patricia Fitzpatrick; Co-written by Helena Grenot, Dana Lorge
Don't Tell Mama
*Metrostar Talent Challenge, Produced by The Metropolitan Room; Hosted by Tom Gamblin
Metropolitan Room
A Ritzmas Daryl, Written by Daryl Glenn, Ricky Ritzel, Alison Nusbaum, Jim Luzar; Directed by Jim Luzar
Don't Tell Mama, Metropolitan Room, Urban Stages
PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT SINGING ENTERTAINER
Maria Gentile
Duplex
*Alison Nusbaum
Don't Tell Mama
Jennifer Pace
Don't Tell Mama
PIANO BAR/RESTAURANT INSTRUMENTALIST
Nate Buccieri
Don't Tell Mama, Brandy's, Duplex
Jerry Scott
Butler's, Parnell's
*Bill Zeffiro
La Mediterranée
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Barry Levitt
Wednesday Night at the Iguana (Iguana), Joey Infante (Metropolitan Room, Triad, Don't Tell Mama), Vocal Jazz Jam (Urban Stages), Broadway Live (Feinstein's), Connie James (Feinstein's)
*Tracy Stark
Barb Jungr (Metropolitan Room), Gay Marshall (Feinstein's, Urban Stages), Marcus Simeone (Metropolitan Room), Gretchen Reinhagen (Urban Stages, Don't Tell Mama), Tanya Holt (Urban Stages)
Steven Ray Watkins
Billie Roe (Don't Tell Mama), Kim Grogg (Don't Tell Mama), 2011 MAC Awards (BB King's), Charles West (Don't Tell Mama)
DIRECTOR
Phil Geoffrey Bond
Sondheim Unplugged (Laurie Beechman, Philipstown Depot Theatre), Simply Streisand (Laurie Beechman), Broadway Swings (White Plains Performing Arts Center), Sounds of the Season (White Plains Performing Arts Center)
Eric Michael Gillett
Karen Akers (Oak Room at the Algonquin), Will & Anthony Nunziata (Feinstein's)
*Peter Napolitano
Barbara Porteus & Barry Levitt (Feinstein's, Metropolitan Room, Laurie Beechman), A Tribute to Donald Smith (Urban Stages), Janice Hall: I'd Rather Be Doing This (Urban Stages), David Vernon (Laurie Beechman)
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
Denise Andersen
Max & Maxine; Kim Grogg: One-Hit Wonder Woman; Angela Shultz (Don't Tell Mama)
Randy Lester
Tommy Femia & Rick Skye: Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli Live!; Steven Brinberg: Simply Barbra; Renee Toroian & Linda Segal (Don't Tell Mama)
*Jean-Pierre Perreaux
Barb Jungr, Amanda McBroom, Marilyn Maye (Metropolitan Room)
Ted Stafford
Broadway on 22nd Street; Baby Jane Dexter; Yanna Avis; O Sole Trio; Rosemary Loar (Metropolitan Room)
SONG
"And I Breathe"
Music by Joshua Salzman, lyrics by Ryan Cunningham
*"He's On His Way"
Music by Robby Stamper, lyrics by Arianna Rose
"Make It Here"
Music by Derek Gregor, lyrics by Sam Carner
"Show Some Beauty"
Music by Steve Marzullo, lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz
"Summer Fling"
Music by Jeff Thomson, lyrics by Jordan Mann
SPECIAL MUSICAL MATERIAL
"A Cautionary Christmas Tale (Ain't That Just Like a Man)"
Music and lyrics by Ritt Henn & Mary Liz McNamara
"The Diet is Cast"
Music and lyrics by Lois Morton
"How Did This Thing Get in Me?"
Music and lyrics by Amy Engelhardt
"One-Shot Deal"
Music by Brian Cimmet, lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz
*"Universal Truth"
Music and lyrics by Bill Zeffiro
RECORDING (LaMott Friedman Recording Award)
William Blake
"Live from New York City"
Harriet Goldberg
"My Time to Fly – Music and Lyrics by Harriet Goldberg"
*H2 (Sean Harkness, Mike Herriott)
"Home for the Holidays"
Alexandra Kaprielian
"Born Too Late"
Marcus Simeone
"Haunted"
SHOW OF THE YEAR
*Terese Genecco, Terese Genecco & Her Little Big Band
Iridium
Eric Michael Gillett, Cast of Thousands: Gillett Sings Carnelia
Laurie Beechman
Barb Junger, The Man in the Long Black Coat: The Songs of Bob Dylan
Metropolitan Room
Sondheim Unplugged, Written, produced, directed, and hosted by Phil Geoffrey Bond
Laurie Beechman, Philipstown Depot Theatre
*
For more information, visit www.macnyc.com.
