At the 24th Annual MAC Awards for the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs, held on Tuesday, May 4th at BB King Jazz and Blues Club on West 42nd, director Lennie Watts once again proved a noble captain of the ship, and musical director Tracy Stark was an able first mate. And both were rewarded with well-deserved awards for their work this season. But it's sometimes easy to forget that at the heart of this particular boat's inner workings is a marvelous and oft-unsung producer, in this case Julie Miller, who truly kept the storm at bay and provided smooth sailing for every single passenger. And as always, a cornucopia of stellar performances proved the highlights of the evening in between the surprises that abounded in so many races.

The evening began with a smoldering rendition of "Sing Happy" as delivered by Julie Reyburn (a former winner for her solo efforts and a winner that night as part of the vocal group Marquee Five), before things really got to a rousing start with Mistress of Ceremonies Sharon McNight (herself a multi-award winning entertainer including several MACs, a Theatre World Award and a Tony nomination) on "The Night Life." Some time later, Brandon Cutrell (winner of that night's Time Out New York award) hit a home run with the heartfelt, "That's When I Miss You," before the dazzling husband-and-wife team of Eric Comstock and Barbara Fasano (also nominated that night) captivated the crowd by coupling "Just A Little Girl" and "Hurry On Down."

A bit later, Lina Koutrakos took the stage as only she can, and delivered her self-written "Southern Rain," which can only be described as breathtaking and, God willing, may at long last take her to Broadway at some point in the very near future. Soon after, the effervescent Peggy Lee impersonator Chuck Sweeney nearly brought the house down with his spot-on and side-splitting rendering of "Fever." This could only be topped by the Les Paul Trio beautifully melding "Blue Skies" with "How High The Moon," then joined by Tony DeSare on the Bing Crosby/Les Paul classic “It’s Been A Long Long Time.” Tony  followed, accompanied by Jay Leonhart,  with an absolutely sparkling and purposeful delivery of  Irving Berlin's "I Love a Piano," as he accompanied his golden tones himself at the ivories.

The scene was set afresh a short time later when nominee Terese Genecco assumed the stage with guitarist Sean Harkness with "Heartbreak Hotel," from her recent "Under the Covers" show. Then, a group number by several staff members of various piano bars, was given the spotlight for a series of solos, in which both Denise Andersen and Randy Lester proved particular standouts. Within minutes, Baby Jane Dexter was front and center with a memorable, "Everybody Hurts."

In what was possibly the most anticipated performance of the night, Lifetime Achievement Award winner Leslie Uggams took the microphone, every inch the lady and the star she's always been, and proceeded to wow the throng with "All Over Broadway" and "My Own Morning." And, as the perfect wind-up to the ceremony, Lucie Arnaz joined Billy Stritch for "It's All Right With Me" and "Something's Gotta Give."

If the performances at this evening's event were the best of any previous MAC Awards, one can only imagine how far they will have to go to top this at next year's show. But it's safe to bet that Miller, Watts and Stark are very clearly up to the challenge!