Winners of the 2018 MAC Awards, presented by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets, were revealed March 27 at the 32nd annual ceremony at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.
Broadway favorite Karen Mason, who created the role of Tanya in the long-running Mamma Mia!, picked up two awards: Celebrity Artist and Major Recording, the latter for her acclaimed It's About Time. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Sharon McNight, a Tony nominee for her performance in Starmites.
The complete list of winners follows:
Female Vocalist
Dawn Derow
My Ship: Songs From 1941: Laurie Beechman Theatre; Crown And Anchor (Provincetown)
Male Vocalist
Joshua Lance Dixon
Pack of One: Don’t Tell Mama
Major Artist – Female
Natalie Douglas
Tribute Shows (Sammy Davis, Jr., Linda Ronstadt, Nina Simone, Shirley Bassey): Birdland
Major Artist – Male
Jeff Harnar
Easy to Love; Sammy Cahn: All The Way; The 1959 Broadway Songbook: Beach Café; Metropolitan Room; Laurie Beechman Theatre
New York Debut – Female
Ann Kittredge
It’s About Time; One Night Only: Metropolitan Room; Don’t Tell Mama; Feinstein’s/54 Below
New York Debut – Male
David Baida
Unexpected Surprise: Metropolitan Room
Celebrity Artist
Karen Mason
Mason at Mama’s in May; Mason’s Makin’ Music; CD Release Show: Don’t Tell Mama; Davenport’s; The Rrazz Room; Birdland
SEE WHAT YOUR FAVORITE STARS ARE UP TO AWAY FROM BROADWAY WITH PLAYBILL UNIVERSE
Impersonation/Characterization/Drag Artist
Robin Kradles (Richard Becker)
Gambling On Love; Don’t Tell Mama
Musical Comedy Performer
Gretchen Reinhagen
#Iblamepaleo: Don’t Tell Mama
Spoken Word Artist
Dan Ruth
A Life Behind Bars: Laurie Beechman Theatre
Duo/Group
Those Girls (Eve Eaton, Rachel Hanser, Karen Mack, Wendy A. Russell)
Those Girls; Those Girls Unplugged Laurie Beechman Theatre; Pangea
Major Duo/Group
Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano
Various shows: Birdland; Jazz at Kitano; Kaplan Penthouse (Lincoln Center); Mezzrow; Gaslight Theatre (St. Louis); Café Sabarsky
Recurring Series
Ricky Ritzel’s Broadway
Created and produced by Ricky Ritzel, staging and choreography by Jay Rogers and Aaron Morishita: Don’t Tell Mama
Revue Or Special Production
Mama's Next Big Act
Produced by Don’t Tell Mama and Lennie Watts: Don’t Tell Mama
Emcee
Lennie Watts
Mama’s Next Big Act!: Don’t Tell Mama
Director
Jeff Harnar
Dawn Derow/My Ship: Songs From 1941 (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Anna Bergman/You’re All The World To Me (Feinstein’s/54 Below); Tovah Feldshuh/Aging Is Optional (Feinstein’s/54 Below); Together: 2017 Cabaret Award-Nominated Vocalists (Don’t Tell Mama, Urban Stages); Margo Brown/Margo Sings Mercer (Metropolitan Room)
Musical Director
Tracy Stark
Meg Flather/Hold On Tight (Don’t Tell Mama); Gretchen Reinhagen/#Iblamepaleo (Don’t Tell Mama); Kim David Smith/Morpheum Kabarett (Pangea, Café Sabarsky, Crown & Anchor); Peggy Eason (Laurie Beechman Theatre); Karen Kohler/The Home I Love—From Birdland To Tel Aviv (Congregation Emanu-El, San Francisco)
Technical Director
Jean-Pierre Perreaux, Metropolitan Room
Annie Ross; Stacy Sullivan/A Night At The Troubador; Marissa Mulder/Be Here Now: The Songs Of Ray Lamontagne; Marilyn Maye/Marilyn By Request; Gunhild Carling/The Gunhild Carling Experience (All At Metropolitan Room)
Ensemble Instrumentalist
Sean Harkness, Guitar
Kathleen Turner (Ripley Grier New Studio, Philadelphia Theatre Company): Keith Richards/Sarah Dash (Joe’s Pub); KJ Denhert (55 Bar); Love Cures Benefit Concert (Symphony Space); Stacy Sullivan/A Tribute To Miss Peggy Lee (Sheen Center)
Piano Bar/Restaurant Singing Entertainer – Male
Tommy J. Dose (Don’t Tell Mama)
Piano Bar/Restaurant Singing Entertainer – Female
Elaine Brier (Don’t Tell Mama)
Piano Bar Instrumentalist
Gerry Dieffenbach (Don’t Tell Mama, The Duplex)
Recording (LaMott Friedman Award)
Josephine Sanges
Finding Beauty: Celebrating Ann Hampton Callaway
Major Recording
Karen Mason
It’s About Time
Song
“I Can Tell Time”
Music By Ben Schaechter; lyrics by Dan Kael
Comedy/Novelty Song
“Go Into Finance”
Music and lyrics by Billy Recce
Show Of The Year
Natalie Douglas
Tributes Residency
Created by and starring Natalie Douglas, musical direction by Mark Hartman and Brian Nash (Birdland)
Lifetime Achievement Award
Sharon McNight
Lifetime Achievement Award
Ruby Rims
Board Of Directors Award
James Gavin
Hanson Award
Carol Shedlin
Mason has been a special guest performer on Playbill’s Broadway on the High Seas cruises. Tickets are now on sale for the Broadway on the Rhône River 2 cruise April 7–14, 2019, and the Broadway on the High Seas 10: Odyssey Through the Greek Isles cruise June 24–July 1, 2019. Lineups of top Broadway stars will be announced at a later date. Call Judy Perl Worldwide for tickets at (844) 561-3625. Visit PlaybillTravel.com for booking and information.
