Eric Michael Gillett, Marilyn Maye, Terese Genecco Among 2012 MAC Award Winners

By Michael Gioia
March 30, 2012

The 26th Annual MAC Awards, hosted by Jason Graae, were presented by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs March 29 at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill. 

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.