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Theatre Fans Unite to Save Struggling West Bank Cafe and Laurie Beechman Theater

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By: Dec. 15, 2020
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Theatre fans are uniting in support of midtown staples West Bank Cafe and the Laurie Beechman Theatre, which like so many other venues and restaurants, are struggling in the wake of the pandemic. Producer Tom D'Angora started a GoFundMe page to help out the 42nd St. hotspots. Over $50K of the $250K goal has already been raised.

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The fundraiser description reads:

Like so many businesses in NYC, the historic and beloved West Bank Cafe/Laurie Beechman Theater is in grave danger of closing its doors permanently if we don't come together as a community and raise the necessary funds ASAP. The venue is in desperate need of capital to dig out of the debt caused by the pandemic. If we hit our fundraising goal, not only will it get West Bank out of debt, but it will allow the venue to weather the rest of the pandemic so we can once again enjoy our home-away-from-home once this crisis ends.

For 42 years West Bank Cafe has been a popular theater district haunt. It has been a launching pad for countless musicians, actors, comedians, and writers, a "must visit" for tourists, a "go to" for locals, and a perfect spot for a business meeting, a pre-theater meal, or after show drinks with friends.

If you are part of the theater/cabaret community, West Bank Cafe has been a part of your life and your story. That's because of Steve and his crew, it isn't a business, it's a family. And they have made us all feel like family for decades. Now is the time to for the family to come together and make sure this magical place is still there when the dust of this global nightmare settles.

There are very few places left in New York, that we can whole heartedly trust with our career and life milestones, the way we have always trusted the crew at West Bank Cafe. So many of us have celebrated birthdays, weddings, opening nights, closing nights, Tony wins, Tony losses, and everything in between. It is our safe place to pitch our big ideas to that big investor, because we know when we bring someone to West bank Cafe they will be treated like a VIP. That's because everyone is treated like a VIP when they walk through those doors.

This business is being hit twice as hard, because it is not only a beloved restaurant and bar, but it is also home to The Laurie Beechman Theater - a warm and inviting space where we have all had the pleasure of enjoying some of New York's finest talents. And, as a performer, whether you are making your NYC debut, or you are an EGOT winner, you are treated like a star. So many milestones have happened at The Laurie Beechman. It is the stage where Joan Rivers performed her final set. It is the room where the original cast of Sunday in the Park With George rehearsed. It is where the Tony Award winning play Sideman debuted, where Aaron Sorkin's first two works were produced, not to mention the countless Oscar, Grammy, Emmy, Tony, and MAC award winning artists that have graced the stage over the decades. So many stars have been born at the Laurie Beechman Theater, as recently as this winter, when LBT regular Jackie Cox made history as a finalist on Ru Paul's Drag Race.

I keep thinking of "It's A Wonderful Life". I think many would agree that our lives would be worse off if Steve Olsen hadn't given so many of us an inviting place to gather and create for all these years. This is Steve's George Bailey moment. Let's prove "that no man is a failure who has friends".

We are New Yorkers, there is nothing we can't achieve when we work together!

Let's save our beloved West Bank Cafe!







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