半岛体育

There's lots exciting happening on 42nd Street at the West Bank Caf茅 and Laurie Beechman Theatre. The theatrical eaterie and iconic cabaret venue was set to permanently close its doors last year after struggling to recover from pandemic losses. Enter producers and West Bank Caf茅 bar regulars Tom and Michael D鈥橝ngora.

After lots of work fundraising to help original owner Steve Olsen keep the lights on, the D'Angoras (who have produced such Broadway titles as Harmony, Suffs, and How to Dance in Ohio) jumped at an opportunity to fully take over the space. The two have refreshed the venue's business model as well as its aesthetic, with a fully renovated and refurbished upstairs restaurant and downstairs theatre, the work of Tony-winning Broadway designer David Rockwell's The Rockwell Group. The latter debuts with a special benefit concert event April 14. And there's lots more to look forward to in the weeks ahead, with upcoming shows from Matt Doyle, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer, Telly Leung, and more already on the calendar.

The upstairs restaurant has gotten a refresh, too, with luxurious, new black booths and some extra special new wall decor. The D'Angoras have managed to get an incredible 17 artworks by legendary Broadway caricaturist Al Hirschfeld to adorn their walls, collecting pieces from the private collections of some of their famous friends and even some from their own houses. Beginning April 14, visitors to West Bank Caf茅 will be able to see Hirschfeld's takes on Chip Zien as The Baker in the original Broadway Into the Woods, Ellen Greene in Little Shop of Horrors, Donna McKechnie in A Chorus Line, Betty Buckley in Cats, Carol Channing in Lorelei, Nathan Lane in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, the original cast of the long-running Chicago revival, the original Broadway Sunday in the Park With George, the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, the original company of Passion, the original production of Jekyll & Hyde, and The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, along with Hirschfeld's portraits of Judy Garland, Whoopi Goldberg, Chita Rivera, Barbra Streisand, and Barry Manilow鈥攎any of which have been signed by Hirschfeld and/or the artists themselves. Get a first look at the collection in the gallery below.

To find out more about this exciting new chapter for the restaurant and performance space, 半岛体育 caught up with the D'Angoras at the West Bank Caf茅 as renovations on the Beechman were still underway. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Tell us about how this whole situation began.

Tom D鈥橝ngora: The trouble started during the pandemic. They were buried with bills, like every venue was, and they were going to close at the end of 2020, which we found out as we were picking up take out. And we said, oh absolutely not. We're not letting that happen. And so with Joe Iconis, our dear friend the Tony-nominated genius; and familiar television face Tim Guinea, we did the Christmas Day telethon. We put it together in 12 days, and literally the whole world did it.

Michael D鈥橝ngora: We only had 12 days to whip it together, so we thought maybe we鈥檒l be able to put together a two- to three-hour event. But the whole community instantly showed up. Within 12 days, we had a 10-hour streaming event.

TD: We got it out of danger, and it was able to move forward post-pandemic.

MD: Cut to later, and the theatre community was a little slow to rebuild.

TD: The short of it is the financial issues continued. Steve had been doing it for almost 47 years. And in July, they announced they were going to close again. So again we tried to save it.

MD: There was a lot of conversation about a new business model that was needed to bring this business into a new era, into 2025. And as these conversations were going, we were just trying to help out neighbor the entire time and keep our hangout for us and the community. But it became clear that he was maybe wanting to step back and let someone else carry it on. And we, within two minutes, decided, okay we鈥檒l do it. It was a no brainer for us. People were asking us if we thought it would hinder our producing careers. The night we made the decision, we were at the bar here, and we looked around and realized it was going to go hand in hand perfectly. Everyone hangs out here to begin with. And thus far, it鈥檚 been a nice marriage of being able to juggle this new chapter of our lives with the producing as well.

Tell me about that new business model. What does the new West Bank Caf茅 and Laurie Beechman Theatre look like?

MD: A lot of it has been some rebranded social media, and spreading the word as organically as possible that this is where we hang out. This is our community. But business-wise, Tom did an amazing job negotiating with landlords and whatnot. It鈥檚 been very helpful to help get things to a place where it鈥檚 doable. We鈥檙e expanding hours.

TD: We鈥檙e putting together a budget more like a Broadway show than a restaurant. And looking at every day like an event. We鈥檙e looking at this like producers and directors and artists, thinking, "What brings people to your show? What if every day is a show?"

MD: The restaurant has one of the best brunches in New York City, and people weren鈥檛 coming. So we had to figure out a way to quickly build brunches up, and we did that by offering the least expensive bottomless option in Hell鈥檚 Kitchen. Instantly brunch took off.

And tell me about what鈥檚 happening downstairs with the renovation!

MD: What isn鈥檛 happening! The Rockwell team has done an incredible job with the redesign. They ran with some of our ideas of what we wanted the space to be and totally exceedest our wildest dream. It鈥檚 going to be this glamorous, loungy feel.

TD: It鈥檚 going to be sexy and sleek, glamorous and lush.

Well and with all love, those are not words I think many would use about the Beechman Theatre we have known for the last several years.

MD: I say this with so much love, too, because what a historic place. But I think this was always an amazing restaurant that had a performance space downstairs. We come from the other world, where it鈥檚 going to be getting a first-rate performance venue with a delicious place to eat upstairs.

TD: We鈥檙e giving the theatre a real identity. The second you walk into the space, you鈥檙e going to be blown away by the design. But it鈥檚 been done in a way that once the show starts, the room will kind of disappear and the talent will be the central focus. It鈥檚 a really versatile space, and I think people are going to be over the moon by the new vibe and the personality that it has.

And I hear we鈥檙e getting some Hirschfelds for the caf茅 upstairs?

TD: We are getting an incredible collection of 17 Hirschfelds.

MD: And what鈥檚 fun is a lot of them are signed by the stars and by Hirschfeld. Chita Rivera鈥檚 is signed by Chita Rivera.

TD: And it鈥檒l go right over Chita鈥檚 favorite booth, of course.

MD: When the idea was floated initially, I thought it might be a little too on the nose. But then I realized, we鈥檙e an iconic theatre place. We should have iconic theatre art. The second the first Hirschfeld showed up, I went from enthusiastic to my head exploding. It鈥檚 stunning in this place.

TD: And we鈥檙e gay enough that several are coming from our own collection. Judy and Barry Manilow are coming from our house.

MD: With the new black booths in the restaurant, I found the simple lines of Hirschfeld look so classy and timeless in the space. It鈥檚 a design match made in heaven.

TD: And it鈥檚 history. It鈥檚 very exciting to be a part of a theatrical experience. So many people come here pre-show, post-show. It鈥檚 going to be an incredible thing. We鈥檙e a place where theatre lovers go. They鈥檒l be in a place where they鈥檒l be appreciated every single day.

MD: We鈥檙e known as a celebrity hangout. So not only will you be able to see a star or two dining at the tables, but we鈥檒l have plenty of them on the walls now as well.

TD: And they鈥檙e very curated to our dear friends and special things that have happened here. We have Sunday in the Park With George, signed by Bernadette and Mandy. And the reason for that is Sondheim first played 鈥淔inishing the Hat鈥� for Mandy and Bernadette and the cast downstairs.

MD: They were running out of rehearsal space across the street, and knew there was a piano here. And that鈥檚 where 鈥淔inishing the Hat鈥� was first played.

TD: We have the Chip Zien Baker [in Into the Woods]. Chip has a long history here, and we鈥檙e very good friends with Chip. And that one is actually fully original, pen to paper.

MD: The very first thing Tom and I ever did professionally was produce Ellen Greene鈥檚 album. And with Little Shop of Horrors right around the corner, we鈥檝e been getting so many Little Shop fans in here, not to mention the cast members. And so we got Audrey signed by Ellen, and kissed by Ellen.

TD: They said it鈥檚 the only Hirschfeld that the artist actually kissed it.

Tell me about what this place meant to you before owning it!

TD: It was a second home always.

MD: I don鈥檛 know how we got the memo, but we moved here in the early 2000s, and we just knew this is where you go. We met and we started just hanging out here. We met so many lifelong friends and other theatre professionals here in such a casual way, and it really became our hangout.

TD: And eventually it was a place for every milestone. We had our wedding rehearsal here. We did 18 opening-night parties here over the years. So many birthday parties, so many events. It鈥檚 a place to celebrate, a place to mourn, the place we did everything. And so many of our friends have the exact same story.

MD: Every single table here, when I go introduce myself, they want to tell us how much this place means to them. They all had a memorial for a loved one downstairs. Several people have had weddings here.

TD: Joe Iconis and Lauren Marcus got married downstairs.

Yeah, I mean the Beechman really is such an institution for anyone at all involved in New York theatre. When it looked like it was closing, it was just kind of unimaginable. It feels like this new chapter is reminding us not to take it for granted.

TD: Yep. Exactly that. I think downstairs really needed this rebirth. It hadn鈥檛 been renovated for so long, and everything is going to be state of the art. The sound is going to be beautiful. We want it to be not only a home for artists, but a safe space, especially right now when art is literally being attacked by people in power, especially art by marginalized communities. We want this to be a place that celebrates artists, doesn鈥檛 take advantage of artists. We鈥檝e been talking to all of our friends who have been doing shows for decades about what will make this the best place for them, where they don鈥檛 feel taken advantage of, where it鈥檚 a good deal. We are artist-first producers. Once you鈥檙e a part of here, you鈥檙e part of the family. We鈥檙e going to take the best care of you possible.

MD: We want to make sure we honor the almost 50-year legacy of the space. It has not just been a cabaret venue, but also a home for theatre development, for burlesque, for drag artists, for stand-up comedians. We want to make sure the voice of the room moving forward is just as eclectic as it has been the last 50 years. And we鈥檙e open to pushing the envelope and testing the limits of what the room can be and what we can do in it artistically.

TD: I want to have kids brunches on Saturday and Sundays. I want to have shows for kids at 10 AM where kids can see an act, Kiddie Cabaret if you will, and the kids can have scrambled eggs and a juice box or whatever kids eat these days, and the parents can have bottomless mimosas. Then we turn the room over and have drag brunch.

MD: It鈥檚 a room for everyone from all walks of life. And a room for all types of artists.

TD: I would love on any given night for you to see Audra McDonald at 7 PM and then at 9:30 you get the star to be.

And as audience members, should we still expect that all-important two-drink minimum?

TD: There鈥檚 a $25 food-drink minimum. But what I will say is that here $25 buys you a gorgeous meal. It doesn鈥檛 buy you a side of fries. You can have my Italian grandfather鈥檚 spaghetti and meatballs for $25.

MD: Our cocktails are generous and reasonably priced, too.

TD: We want you to get the most bang for your buck.

MD: We want to make sure the space is accessible to all people, and that鈥檚 reflected in our ticket prices. They run the gamut.

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Photos: Hirschfeld Collection at the West Bank Cafe

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