Video: Theatre Community Rallies to Save Iconic West Bank Cafe & Laurie Beechman Theatre

What happens when one of the most iconic and beloved institutions of New York City's Theatre District is in trouble? Broadway steps in to help. 

As BroadwayWorld first reported last month, Hell's Kitchen restaurant The West Bank Cafe, home to the 80-seat Laurie Beechman Theatre, is being forced to close its doors following financial fallout brought upon by the pandemic. That is not the end of the venue's story however, beacuse Tom D’Angora, Michael D'Angora, Tim Guinee, and Joe Iconis are on a mission to make sure it not only survives, but thrives for years to come.

One of the biggest factors that led to the venue's current economic situtaion was being denied both RRF and SVOG grants following the pandemic. "We had an approved application in that would qualify us to receive $1.5M in grants to keep our restaurant operating and to make improvements," owner Steve Olsen explained to BroadwayWorld's Richard Ridge. The grant did not come, however. "That would have kept our infrastructure up to date. That hurt."

"Just like before, the entire community is rallying," added Tom D'Angora. "In just a soft launch, we've already raised $90K (now over $100K) in our GoFundMe."

West Bank Cafe opened in 1978. It was as "far-west" on 42nd Street as one would want to venture, at a time when Hell’s Kitchen lived up to its name. The restaurant’s early clients even included the notorious Irish gang, the Westies. Since then it has become a cherished haunt to a diverse cast of regulars, from Tennessee Williams to Bruce Willis.

"I think that a place like the West Bank and the Laurie Beechman Theatre are absolutely what makes New York New York," explained Iconis. "I cannot imagine New York without it. This won't happen, but if the West Bank Cafe and Laurie Beechman Theatre close one day... in a hundred years... I think that moment Manhattan will just cease to exist!"

Donate to save the West Bank Cafe today and watch as D'Angora, Iconis, and Olsen come together to chat about the circumstances and why this cherished spot is too good to lose.