Christine Ebersole, Billy Stritch, Jim Caruso, More Are MAC Award Winners

The Manhattan Association of Cabarets' 40th Annual MAC Awards, honoring the best in NYC cabaret performance, were presented March 23 at Peter Norton Symphony Space in Manhattan.

Several Broadway notables were among the winners, including Tony winner Christine Ebersole, who received the Celebrity Artist Award along with her frequent collaborator, Billy Stritch; Stritch also picked up the Major Duo Group Award with Jim Caruso and Klea Blackhurst for their A Swinging Birdland Christmas show at the famed Manhattan jazz club. Caruso was additionally honored with the Emcee Award for his long-running variety show, Jim Caruso's Cast Party.

Female Vocalist and Male Vocalist went to, respectively, Ann Kittredge and Frank Dain; the latter was also awarded the LaMott Friedman Recording Award for his 225 album, I've Had a Love.

The previously announced Lillias White and Karen Akers received Lifetime Achievement Awards at this year's honors with the Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Award presented to The Season: Goldie's Kids!, the Hanson Award to Anya Turner and Robert Grusecki, and the NiteLife Exchange Barry Levitt Jazz Award to Vicki Burns and Joe Alterman.

Julie Miller produced the annual ceremony, with Amy Wolk directing and John Fischer as music director.

See the full list of winners and nominees below.

Female Vocalist
Corinna Sowers Adler, All That Matters
Diane D'Angelo, Closing Credits
WINNER Ann Kittredge, Romantic Notions, When in Love, You Sleigh Me
Susan Mack, 'Tis Autumn, The Susan Mack Quartet
Linda Mironti, Perfectly Imperfect
Deborah Stone, String Theory
Evelyn Sullivan, The Ev Sullivan Show

Male Vocalist
WINNER Frank Dain, A Celebration 24 Years in the Making
Michael Kirk Lane, Right Where I Belong
Frank McDonough, Frank Sings Frank
John Mendiola, Are You Ready for Me?

Major Artist-Female
WINNER Marieann Meringolo, Shades of Love, You Must Believe in Spring, A Century of Song: Celebrating Alan and Marilyn Bergman, In the Spirit: 2025
Christine Pedi, Snow Bizness/With a Little Help From My Friends
Stephanie Pope, Livin' It Up!, Simple Joys

Major Artist-Male
Ari Axelrod, A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway, Now That That's Off My Chest
WINNER Sean Harkness, Just Me
Craig Pomranz, Berlin to Dylan to Simon and Garfunkel: It's All Kosher!, It's All Kosher: Part 2!, It's the Holidays!

New York Debut-Female
Billie Brouse, Thinking Out Loud
Terri Dannenberg, Everything!
WINNER Janice McCune, Let's Start Tomorrow Tonight!
Grace Peña, Heartstrings!
Debi Toni, Double Trouble

New York Debut-Male
WINNER Ethan Mathias, Outside the Lines
Macon Prickett, Macon: His Own Way

Celebrity Artist
Ann Hampton Callaway, The Best of Ann Hampton Callaway
Liz Callaway, Liz Callaway Sings Stephen Schwartz
Natalie Douglas, Sammy at 100, Juneteenth Jubilee 2025 The Nat Pack: Sammy & Nat & Stevie & Joe, Tributes: The '70s
WINNER Christine Ebersole With Billy Stritch
Norm Lewis

Duo/Group
Maria Corsaro and Leslie Vincent, Jazz à Deux
Jennie Litt and Mirabelle Alpher, Relatively Singing!
WINNER Chrissy and Don Pardo, Dreams Don't Come True in Pennsylvania, Christmastide for Empire State Ride, Wine Hour at the Hotel Edison
The Randy Andy's, Vintage Valentines, Spring Swing, Holiday Spectacular

Major Duo/Group
Laura and Linda Benanti, Mother Knows Best
WINNER Jim Caruso, Billy Stritch, and Klea Blackhurst, A Swinging Birdland Christmas
Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano, Spring Swing, 20 for 20, Painting the Town, So Nice to Come Home To

Recurring Series
The American Popular Song Society Series
Barbarino's Big Nite Out
Jim Caruso'a Cast Party
WINNER The Lineup
Scat School
Sondheim Unplugged
Spotlight on You Open Mic

Emcee
WINNER Jim Caruso, Jim Caruso's Cast Party
Goldie Dver, Sneak Peek
Lena Moy-Borgen, Mama's Next Big Act
Justin Dylan Nastro, Singnasium Game-a-Palooza, The Season: Goldie's Kids, BSP Holiday Playlist

Tribute Show
Lucille Carr-Kaffashan, 8 Days a Week—60 Years of Beatles Music
WINNER Dawn Derow, Sing Happy: The Wonderful Women of Kander and Ebb
Marnie Klar, Karen Carpenter Covers
Liora Michelle, Songbirds of the Silver Screen

Special Production
Joe Iconis and Family
WINNER Mama's Next Big Act
Penzance-ish
The Beat of a Wandering Heart: The Songs of Marty Silvestri and Joel Higgins

Director
James Beaman
WINNER Jeff Harnar
Barry Kleinbort
Lina Koutrakos
Tanya Moberly

Musical Director
Christopher Denny
Yasuhiko Fukuoka
Sean Harkness
Daryl Kojak
Alex Rybeck
WINNER Tracy Stark
Billy Stritch

Technical Director
Adam DeCarlo
Gian Raffaele DiCostanzo
Sheridan Glover
Amanda Raymond
WINNER Kelly Wohlford

Ensemble Instrumentalist
Steve Doyle, bass
Don Kelly, drums and percussion
WINNER Matt Scharfglass, bass
David Silliman, drums and percussion
Skip Ward, bass

Piano Bar Singing Entertainer-Uptown
Elaine Brier
WINNER Tara Martinez
Lauren Mufson
Jennifer Pace
Jon Satrom

Piano Bar Singing Entertainer-Downtown
Susan Campanaro
Yvette Monique Clark
WINNER Maria Gentile
Tyler Kent
Maddie McClouskey
Miles Whittaker

Piano Bar Instrumentalist-Uptown
Nate Buccieri
Gerry Dieffenbach
WINNER Dan Pardo
Bill Zeffiro

Piano Bar Instrumentalist-Downtown
WINNER Dan Daly
Brando(n) James Gwinn
Kenney Green-Tilford
Franca Vercelloni

Song
"A Song Place to Land," music by Ned Paul Ginsberg, lyrics by Hillary Rollins
"I Could Be a Hero," music by Peter Millrose, lyrics by Michael Colby
"I Used to Be You," music by Maria Gentile and Lynn Portas, lyrics by Maria Gentile
"It's Always Too Little, Too Late," music by Drew Paralic, lyrics by Bob Levy
WINNER "Missing a Screw," music and lyrics by Ava Nicole Frances
"Sweet Love's Embrace," music and lyrics by Paul Rolnick
"Two at a Time," music and lyrics by Marcus Goldhaber

Comedy/Novelty Song
"A Bull Call," music and lyrics by John Forster
"Autumn of my Life Blues," music and lyrics by Ted Georgaklis
"Heather," music and lyrics by Tom Toce
"It's Sunny," music by Amy Engelhardt, lyrics Seth Christenfeld
"Ode to a Code," music and lyrics by Marc Segan
WINNER "Too Much Love," music by Tracy Stark, lyrics by Mark Dundas Wood

Recording (LaMott Friedman Recording Award)
Maria Corsaro, Love Makes the Changes
WINNER Frank Dain, I've Had a Love
Brian De Lorenzo, Toast of the Town, Vol 1
Ava Nicole Frances, The Dream That I See
Bob Levy (featuring various artists), Live, Love & Laugh: The Ronny Whyte and Bob Levy Collaborations

Major Recording
D.C. Anderson, Songs Stay Sung
Ari Axelrod, A Place For Us: A Celebration of Jewish Broadway
WINNER Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano, Painting the Town
Chip Deffaa and Friends, Chip Deffaa and Friends: Down in Honkey Tonk Town
Phillip Officer, You Fascinate Me So—Phillip Officer Salutes Mabel Mercer

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