The Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) celebrates live entertainment at this annual NYC awards show!
Director Lennie Watts ( MAC President), Producer Julie Miller, Musical Director Barry Levitt, Stage Manager Amy Wolk, and Host Karen Mason (plus a platoon of presenters) put together an evening that honors the gifted members of this creative community.
A blend of divas, divos, and glamorous gender-benders, the MAC awards are entertaining (super voices and standards plus songs from new writers). The evening was “a gas!” (and not just the bubbles in our champagne) beginning with the opening song “There You Are” (by Peter Napolitano) that gently kids the nominees and two-drink minimum and urges everyone (win, lose, or booze) to enjoy the show.
MAC Awards 3-26-15
Winners include: Gabrielle Stravelli (Female Vocalist), Sterns Matthews (Male Vocalist), Stacy Sullivan (Major Artist), Celia Berk (New York Debut – Female), Kristoffer Lowe (New York Debut – Male), Ivan Farkus (Musical Comedy Performer), Rev Roger Anthony Yolanda Mapes (Impersonation/Drag Artist), Ted Stafford and Lorinda Lisitza (Duo/Group), “Revolution” Dawn Derow and Kathleen France (Revue), Salon (Recurring Series), “Dancing with Death” Thomas Honeck (Special Production), Tom Gamblin (Emcee), Tom Hubbard – Bass (Ensemble Instrumentalist), Nate Bucieri (Don’t Tell Mama) Nate Buccieri – (Piano Bar Instrumentalist), Bill Zeffiro (La Mediteranee), Elaine Brier (Piano Bar Singing Entertainer – Female), Bobby Belfry (Piano Bar Singing Entertainer – Male), Tracy Stark (Musical Director), Eric Michael Gillett (Director), Jean-Pierre Perreaux (Technical Director), Stearns Matthews (Recording), Bruce Kimmel “Simply” (Song), Amy Wolk and William TN Hall “The Brit Song” (Comedy/Novelty Song), Phil Geoffrey Bond “The 54 Sings” (Show of the Year).Honorees include Meg Flather (Hanson Award), Baby Jane Dexter and Steve Ross (Lifetime Achievement Awards), David Kenney, WBAI FM Radio ( MAC’s Board of Directors Award), Marc Nadler (Celebrity Artist), Urban Stages, Winter Rhythms (Ruth Kurtzman Benefit Series Award). Live Tweets by Natasha Castillo
Creative Living by Dr. Sue: You’re Never Too Old or Too Young:
Steve Ross sings the age-defying “I’m Not Through” and teen group Wingspan (mentored by Frances Hill, Lennie Watts, and Peter Napolitano) sing “Over the Rainbow” as a chorus with solos. Cabaret is an entertainment tradition that welcomes groups that are often marginalized due to age, ethnicity, and/or gender issues etc. If you think that your personal difference excludes you from opportunities, come to the cabaret!
“You Can Be a Hero” by Singer-Songwriter Dr. Sue
Photos by “GENEVIEVE” (Genevieve Rafter-Keddy)
“April in…” Can you name that song? If you said “April in Paris” you were right about the Vernon Duke/E.Y “Yip” Harburg standard. But as the Billy Crystal/Debra Winger movie advised: “Forget Paris.” New York City has its own April delights – including the beginning of Gotham Writers Spring Semester, where you can study songwriting, screenwriting, and much more.
This week, I attended the Gotham Writers Open House – a free sampling of writing courses: Articles, Creative Writing, Fiction, Humor, Memoir, Novel, Playwriting, Poetry, Screenwriting, Science Fiction and Fantasy, Songwriting, Stand-Up Comedy, TV Writing. So many seeds for thought – so little time!
I did manage to sit in on a few courses, and here are a few tips from the instructors:
Songwriting (Instructor: Jody Gray – jodygray.com)
Most popular songs are written with a “hook” (a repeating refrain) and a classic structure, For example, the song “Over the Rainbow” has a hook that shows up in the title and each “A” section. The form is A, A, B, A. Can you find the hook and figure out what the “A” sections are? You can do it (and write it) if you take Jody’s class!
Humor Writing (Instructor: Ryan Britt)
Humor (even when it’s based on life) usually includes certain elements: misunderstanding, exaggeration, odd combinations, and/or inversion of expectations. Can you think of a story from your own life or imagination that includes these elements? You’re half-way to funny! Ryan’s class includes readings from top humorists and a chance to rough out and polish your own ideas.
Screenwriting (Instructor: Jason Grieff)
Screenplays often begin with the familiar and throw in a twist! (Think Dorothy – a farm girl, who is whisked out of Kansas into Oz by a tornado or “twister”!) Like most great protagonists, Dorothy really wants something – to go home – but first she must undertake a life-changing journey! (Sound familiar? Like many screenplays, “The Wizard of Oz” has deep roots in mythology – in this case, Homer’s classic tale: “The Odyssey”). What kind of screenplay should you write? You can start off by listing three of your favorite movies. As Jason points out, they can give you clues about what you love and can successfully write!
Gotham’s courses run from 6 weeks to 10 weeks and include one-day intensives. For more information, visit gothamwriters.com
By the way, do you know who wrote the lyrics, much dialogue, and served as script editor for the movie: “The Wizard of Oz”? If you said E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, then you brought it all back home – from Paris and Oz to Gotham Writers in NYC!
Creative Living:
Exercise your mind! Pull out those lazy mental weeds (like “I have no talent or time”), plant those seeds of thought, cultivate your craft, and watch yourself bloom!
(Photographer/Editor: Jay Berman)
“Come to the …” Can you name this Broadway musical?
Even if you missed Cabaret by Kander/Ebb, you can still enjoy live entertainment in an intimate room or a large venue like BB King’s Restaurant, in Times Square NYC, which hosts the annual MAC Awards.
MAC stands for Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs, but the talent is international, and the material is varied: show tunes , jazz, pop , comedy, tribute shows, drag acts, singer-songwriters, etc.
Almost anything goes as long as it’s the personal vision of the performer.
The key is sincerity (and if you can fake that – you’ve got it made)!
MAC Awards – Dr. Sue Photo: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
I had the thrill of interviewing MAC winners and nominees (past and present) for StageBuddy.com – a website devoted to the best in NYC entertainment, where you can see our videos.
Lennie Watts, Head of MAC’s board of directors, and Julie Miller co-produced the awards show, directed by Watts, who won his own MAC award for direction (musical direction by Don Rebic).
Mr. Watts shared insights on how to help performers weave stories and songs into a cohesive show – plus the practical realities of sustaining a cabaret career.
Therese Genecco, hosted the show, sang a mashup that included “Applause”, told jokes, and modeled three outfits (two guys’ suits and one gown).
Video: Dr. Sue Interviews MAC Cabaret Celebs for StageBuddy.com
Highlights include the marvelous Marilyn Maye (86 years old and going strong!) who won a Lifetime Achievement Award presented by legendary costume designer Bob Mackie. (She considers it her “midlife award”). Ms. Maye delivered a powerful, emotive, singing tribute to life and “you” her appreciative audience. Her sensitive phrasing and attention to lyrics exemplified what she teaches in her master classes. Linda Lavin, who won the other Lifetime Achievement Award, sang and accompanied herself on piano.
Other winners included the Eugene O’Neill Cabaret and Performance Conference (accepted by John McDaniel), and Will Friedwald of The Wall Street Journal was among the presenters.
Songwriters Julie Gold (Grammy-winner “From a Distance”) and Christine Lavin (“Good Thing He/She Can’t Read My Mind” ) shared sources of inspiration (from the social idealism of the ’60’s to dating deceptions) plus the latest cabaret/internet interface: concertwindow.com
Baby Jane Dexter- Dr. Sue Photo: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Singer Baby Jane Dexter infuses her cabaret show with raw emotion – some from her personal history.
She also teaches Master Classes to both aspiring cabaret stars and at-risk, inner-city teens.
There were sequins a-plenty, plus wigs.
(Hello, Reverend Yolanda, a six-foot tall gender-bender gospel goddess) – plus sensitivity and search for meaning in this most personal of performing art forms.
Did I miss anyone? Of course I did.
But you can make it up to them – if you come to the cabaret!
Creative Living:
Cabaret connects performers and audiences in a way that mass media and stadium-sized arenas never can.
Performers develop their talents; audiences get to be part of an art form that’s individual and special – not canned and homogenized for the mass-market.
It’s unpredictable, in-the-moment, and interactive – like life.
You might even catch a rising star!
(Photographer: Genevieve Rafter Keddy & Jay Berman, Editor: Jay Berman, Videography StageBuddy)
The annual New York Times Travel Show has something for everyone: from fantasy vacations to a fun afternoon!
You can vacation globally (Asia, Africa, Europe, South America, Antarctica)!
You stay-cation in NYC with a Broadway Show, Dining Certificate & Parking Voucher with ManhattanClub.com
You can spin a wheel and win a deal (a cruise for two) at GetReadyToCruise.com
You can book a cruise or cruise with books with RoadScholar.org , EnrichmentVoyages.org , or SemesteratSea.org (learning & adventure for savvy seniors or college students).
You can time-travel through New York State via ILoveNY.com/PathThroughHistory,.
You can climb-travel in the Himalayas or a fiberglass wall at the Javits Center. (The wall is a good place to drop off the kids – but fasten that safety harness – unless you really want to drop them off!)
You can climb into a bikini at a resort pool… or climb into a martini at a midtown Manhattan bistro…
Sue “Dr. Sue” Horowitz (Vocalist) & Rick Bogart (Clarinet)
Perform Jazz Standards, Romantic Songs & Clever Parodies
Broadway Thai Restaurant 241 West 51st Street (btwn Broadway-8th Ave) NYC
Saturday/Sunday Nights (212) 226-4565, No Cover.
Thai & American Food & Drinks are delicious (and reasonable)
Creative Living:Live Your Vacation Dream – You can’t take it with you – but you can take a plane, train, bus, boat or taxi to wherever you imagine! So as the song goes, “Pack up all your cares and woes…” and go for it!
(Editor/Photographer: Jay Berman)
Susan (“Dr. Sue”) Horowitz, Ph.D.
You can book a cruise or cruise with books with RoadScholar.org , EnrichmentVoyages.org , or SemesteratSea.org (learning & adventure for savvy seniors or college students).
You can time-travel through New York State via ILoveNY.com/PathThroughHistory,.
You can climb-travel in the Himalayas or a fiberglass wall at the Javits Center. (The wall is a good place to drop off the kids – but fasten that safety harness – unless you really want to drop them off!)
You can climb into a bikini at a resort pool… or climb into a martini at a midtown Manhattan bistro…
Sue “Dr. Sue” Horowitz (Vocalist) & Rick Bogart (Clarinet)
Perform Jazz Standards, Romantic Songs & Clever Parodies
Broadway Thai Restaurant 241 West 51st Street (btwn Broadway-8th Ave) NYC
Saturday/Sunday Nights (212) 226-4565, No Cover.
Thai & American Food & Drinks are delicious (and reasonable)
Creative Living:
Live Your Vacation Dream – You can’t take it with you – but you can take a plane, train, bus, boat or taxi to wherever you imagine! So as the song goes, “Pack up all your cares and woes…” and go for it!
(Editor/Photographer: Jay Berman)
