Broadway To Dim Lights In Honor Of Cafe Edison Owner Harry Edelstein Tonight, 7/15
By: Eddie Varley Jul. 15, 2009
The Broadway League notes with sadness the passing of Harry Edelstein, the owner of legendary Broadway canteen Café Edison. He died on Monday at age 91.
The marquees of Broadway theatres in New York will be dimmed in his memory on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at exactly 8:00pm for one minute.
Located in the Hotel Edison at 228 West 47th Street, the popular coffee shop with moderate prices was fondly nicknamed the Polish Tea Room by theatre industry insiders and patrons.
Mr. Edelstein received a 2004 Tony® Honor for Excellence in the Theatre, for "providing the theatre community with hearty sustenance and a cheerful home-away-from-home at the Café Edison, known affectionately as the ‘Polish Tearoom.'
In Neil Simon's original play, 45 Seconds from Broadway, the role of Bernie was based on Harry Edelstein.
Charlotte St. Martin, Executive Director of The Broadway League, said, "For over 25 years Harry Edelstein and his wife, Frances, fed those working on and around Broadway such Big Apple favorites as matzoh ball soup and blintzes. His warm personality will be especially missed by his friends at the League."
Mr. Edelstein is survived by his wife, the former Frances Trost; his daughter, Harriet Strohl; a son, Scott; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. The Edelsteins ran the Café Edison coffee shop from 1980 until three years ago. It is now run by their son-in-law, Conrad Strohl.
The Broadway League, founded in 1930, is the national trade association for the Broadway industry. The League's 600-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in over 240 North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the theatre industry. Each year, League members bring Broadway to nearly 30 million people in New York and on tour across the U.S. and Canada.
Visit www.BroadwayLeague.com.
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