Laurie Beechman Theatre
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| Address | 407 West 42nd Street |
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| Location | Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Coordinates | 40°45′31″N 73°59′34″W / 40.75866°N 73.992842°W |
| Owner | Tom D'angora |
| Type | Cabaret |
| Capacity | 80 |
| Opened | 1983 |
| Website | |
| www | |
The Laurie Beechman Theatre (formerly the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar) is an 90-seat[1] dinner theater in the basement of the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street in the Manhattan Plaza apartment complex in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City.
The theater is named for Laurie Beechman, who was a Broadway singer/actor and cabaret performer.
History
[edit]The theater was opened in 1983 by the West Bank Cafe owner Steve Olsen. The cafe/theater is in Manhattan Plaza, which was specifically built to house people who are active in New York's theater scene. Bruce Willis was a bartender in the restaurant. Tennessee Williams, Arthur Miller and Sean Penn were regulars.[2]
Olsen experimented with the venue, offering it for jazz and cabaret. Lewis Black, Rand Foerster, and Rusty Magee proposed staging plays at what initially was called the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theater Bar. Over the course of 14 years, Foerster was the Artistic Director, Black was the playwright in residence, and authored forty plays there, and Magee was the musical director. More than 1,500 one-act plays have been performed at the theater.[2]
Initially, the theater was strictly drinks only. However, it has evolved to include dinner before the show. Joan Rivers often performed there, as has Karen Finley.
On August 27, 2014, Joan Rivers gave her final performance at the theater.[3] The following day, Rivers suffered a cardiac arrest resulting from complications during a procedure on her vocal cords, and died on September 4, 2014.
On Christmas Day 2020, the Cafe ran a telethon to raise needed funds to stay open. Among the notable performers who appeared on the program were Matthew Broderick, Al Pacino, Betty Buckley, Nathan Lane, André De Shields, Marissa Mulder, Pete Townshend, and the Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer. The telethon raised its target of $250,000 within the first ninety minutes of the show.[4][5]
Tom and Michael D'Angora acquired the theater in December 2024, and the theater was temporarily closed after being acquired.[6] The space reopened on January 23, 2025.[7][8] David Rockwell was hired in early 2025 to renovate the theater.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Open Table Profile". opentable.com. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ a b "The West Bank Cafe". newyorkrestaurantinsider.com. July 2007. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
- ^ "Joan Rivers Dead At 81, Daughter Melissa Says In Statement", CBS New York, September 4, 2014
- ^ Harms, Talaura (December 25, 2020). "Broadway Stars Come Together for Save West Bank Cafe Virtual Telethon December 25". Playbill. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ O'Brien, Phil (December 25, 2020). "West Bank Cafe Christmas Day Telethon Blasts Through Fundraising Target in 90 minutes". W42ST. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
- ^ Culwell-Block, Logan (December 17, 2024). "NYC Cabaret Mainstay Laurie Beechman Theatre Will Live On With New Owners". Playbill. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ Green, Kendall (January 26, 2025). "Iconic Theater District restaurant reopens, welcoming Broadway fans again". FOX 5 New York. Retrieved March 4, 2025.
- ^ "West Bank Cafe to Reopen". TheaterMania.com. January 16, 2025. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Gans, Andrew (March 7, 2025). "David Rockwell Will Lead Renovation of The Laurie Beechman Theatre". Playbill. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
External links
[edit]- westbankcafe.com
- Laurie Beechman Theatre at the Internet Off-Broadway Database (incomplete)