NYC’s West Bank Cafe calls in stage stars to help raise funds after fighting off closure
By Zoe Hussain,
6 hours ago
A beloved Manhattan dinner theater that fought off closure with a flood of donations got a Playbill-worthy encore this week to raise even more funds.
The iconic West Bank Cafe in Hell’s Kitchen — which raked in more than $120,000 to keep it from shuttering over the summer — staged a performance Tuesday featuring Broadway stars to help pay for rent and upgrades at the time-worn joint.
Tony-nominee Liz Calloway, Tony-nominee Amanda Green, and SAG award-nominee Richard Kind lit up the stage.
Tony-nominee Liz Calloway, Tony-nominee Amanda Green, and SAG award-nominee Richard Kind lit up the stage during a three-act show as Bianca Leigh of the hit Broadway comedy “Oh, Mary! ” emceed.
More than 160 people attended the $500-a-ticket fundraising gala, where theater-world celebrities vowed to bend over backwards to save the quirky hotspot.
“I will help this place stay alive as long as I am able,” said Kristy Cates, a gala sponsor and actress known for her role in “Wicked.”
“I just feel like [West Bank] is a safe haven in a city that is so wild, unyielding, and unforgiving,” she added. “This is a place where we really come and be ourselves.”
“I remember sitting here with [Tony-winner] Chita Rivera eating in the back, I remember warming up with Ariana Grande when she was like 12 years old. I sang countless shows and made countless friends,” she said.
In July, the star-studded dinner theater joint — where the likes of Stephen Sondheim and Tennessee Williams once hobnobbed — said its curtains could close forever due to financial woes.
Lorna Luft and Julie Benko performed at the star-studded affair.
Theater buffs, along with some celebrities and regulars donated to its GoFundMe, raising over $120,000 of their $850,0000 goal, supporters said.
The amount was enough for the eatery to indefinitely postpone its original closing date of Aug. 24 to October, according to Broadway producer Tom D’Angora, a regular who started the online fundraiser.
The lack of a COVID bailout first caused the cafe to turn to GoFundMe in 2020, when fans raised $350,000 to keep the lights on.
The dinner theater is still in negotiations with the building’s landlord and has raised 25% of the money needed to ensure the cafe can stay open — and move forward.
Gala tickets cost at least $500 for an evening that included an open bar and plenty of hors d’oeuvres.
During the gala Tuesday, Liz Calloway sang in an opening performance, with a West Bank-themed rendition of “I Know a Place” by Petula Clark.
“When life is low and you are lonely you can always go to… West Bank!” Calloway belted to an enthusiastic audience.
Gala tickets cost at least $500 for an evening that included an open bar and plenty of hors d’oeuvres.
Hosts Tom D’Angora, Michael D’Angora, and owner Steve Olsen buzzed around checking in on patrons in the typical “family spirit,” gala attendees told The Post.
The cafe, which also hosts the 80-seat Laurie Beechman Theatre in its basement, has a storied history and has also been frequented by Al Pacino and many up-and-coming Big Apple actors.
Joan Rivers had her final performance in the theater and other acts, such as Chita Rivera, called the theater and restaurant home.
Additional reporting by Natalie O’Neill
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