Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg Proclaims March is Cabaret Month

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg will issue a proclamation declaring March "Cabaret Month" in honor of a tradition long observed by New York City club owners. The proclamation will be presented at the Cabaret Hotline Anniversary Gala at the Laurie Beechman Theater on March 6th. Vocalist Craig Pomranz will accept the document on behalf of the cabaret community including the organizations: Cabaret Hotline, Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC) and The Mabel Mercer Foundation.

"The Mayor recognized that nightclub performing in a cabaret setting is a classic part of New York's identity in films, television and literature," notes Pomranz. "Even people who have never been to the city imagine themselves sitting in a sophisticated nightclub, sipping a cocktail and watching a performer in an intimate setting. We hope this proclamation will bring more attention to this versatile and vibrant art form. Cabaret is New York, as much as theater, galleries and Central Park."

Decades ago, club owners began using the phrase, "March is Cabaret Month" to coax audiences out of their apartments during the chilly, slow winter months. March was chosen because it began with the Backstage Bistro Awards (as they were then known) and ended with the MAC awards. The Mayor's office supported the community's efforts then as well, and in 2008, Cabaret Hotline Online, a popular online website and newsletter, resurrected "March is Cabaret Month" with support from venue operators, organizations and performers.

The genre is filled with passionately loyal performers and audiences. Attracting New Yorkers and visitors alike, new places pop up all the time, like 54 Below, which opened with a bang last summer. There are venues large and small from mainstay, Don't Tell Mama, to the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center and B.B. King's in Times Square, the intimate Metropolitan Room and the cutting edge of Joe's Pub at the Public. The tony Café Carlyle is opening a new late night series, and even the East Village is getting into the "act" as Sidewalk Cafe begins a series of cabaret performances in March.

Some of the many associations which support cabaret are: Cabaret Hotline, Manhattan Association of Cabaret and Clubs (MAC), The Mabel Mercer Foundation, Bistro Awards, NitelifeExchange.com, Cabaret Scenes Magazine, Times Square Chronicles, and many more.

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