West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar
Encyclopedia
The Laurie Beechman Theatre (formerly the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar) is an 80-seat dinner theatre in the basement of the West Bank Cafe at 407 West 42nd Street
in the Manhattan Plaza
apartment complex just west of Times Square
.
The theatre is named for cabaret performer Laurie Beechman
.
The theatre opened in 1983 by West Bank Cafe owner Steve Olsen. The Cafe/theatre was in Manhattan Plaza that had been built specifically to house those active in New York's theatre scene. Bruce Willis
was a bartender in the restaurant. Tennessee Williams
, Arthur Miller
and Sean Penn
were regulars.
Olsen experimented with the venue offering it as jazz and cabaret. Lewis Black
, Rand Foerster, and Rusty Magee
proposed staging plays at what was then called initially the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar. Over a course of 14 years Black was the playwright in residence and would author 40 plays there and Magee was the musical director. More than 1,500 one-act plays
have been performed at theatre.
Initially the theatre was strictly drinks only. However it has evolved to include dinner before the show. Joan Rivers
and Karen Finley
often perform there.
42nd Street (Manhattan)
42nd Street is a major crosstown street in the New York City borough of Manhattan, known for its theaters, especially near the intersection with Broadway at Times Square. It is also the name of the region of the theater district near that intersection...
in the Manhattan Plaza
Manhattan Plaza
Manhattan Plaza is a large federally-subsidized residential complex at 400 West 43rd Street in midtown Manhattan, New York City. It has 1,688 units and about 3,500 tenants, primarily in the performing arts. It occupies the city block bounded north by 43rd Street, east by 9th Avenue, south by 42nd...
apartment complex just west of Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
.
The theatre is named for cabaret performer Laurie Beechman
Laurie Beechman
Laurie Hope Beechman was an American singer. As a performer, she was known for her Broadway performances in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Cats, and Les Misérables...
.
The theatre opened in 1983 by West Bank Cafe owner Steve Olsen. The Cafe/theatre was in Manhattan Plaza that had been built specifically to house those active in New York's theatre scene. Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis
Walter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
was a bartender in the restaurant. Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams
Thomas Lanier "Tennessee" Williams III was an American writer who worked principally as a playwright in the American theater. He also wrote short stories, novels, poetry, essays, screenplays and a volume of memoirs...
, Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller
Arthur Asher Miller was an American playwright and essayist. He was a prominent figure in American theatre, writing dramas that include plays such as All My Sons , Death of a Salesman , The Crucible , and A View from the Bridge .Miller was often in the public eye,...
and Sean Penn
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn is an American actor, screenwriter and film director, also known for his political and social activism...
were regulars.
Olsen experimented with the venue offering it as jazz and cabaret. Lewis Black
Lewis Black
Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena...
, Rand Foerster, and Rusty Magee
Rusty Magee
Benjamin Rush "Rusty" Magee was an accomplished composer and lyricist for theatre, television, and film and commercials.-Childhood and Education:...
proposed staging plays at what was then called initially the West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar. Over a course of 14 years Black was the playwright in residence and would author 40 plays there and Magee was the musical director. More than 1,500 one-act plays
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
have been performed at theatre.
Initially the theatre was strictly drinks only. However it has evolved to include dinner before the show. Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers
Joan Rivers is an American comedian, television personality and actress. She is known for her brash manner; her loud, raspy voice with a heavy New York accent; and her numerous cosmetic surgeries...
and Karen Finley
Karen Finley
Karen Finley is an American performance artist, whose theatrical pieces and recordings have often been labelled "obscene" due to their graphic depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement...
often perform there.
External links
- westbankcafe.com
- Laurie Beechman Theatre at Internet Off-Broadway Database