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︎ The Laurie Beechman Theater
The Laurie Beechman Theater is a 90 seat cabaret-style venue with interior design by David Rockwell and stage and architectural lighting design by Aiden Bezark. The theater is located on the lower level of the legendary West Bank Cafe on 42nd St.
Laurie Beechman was a luminous talent whose powerful voice and commanding stage presence left an indelible mark on Broadway. She made her debut as the Star to Be in the original production of Annie, and went on to captivate audiences by creating the role of the Narrator in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Tony nom) and starring in Cats, Les Misérables, and The Pirates of Penzance, earning a place among Broadway’s most beloved leading ladies.
The venue’s history stretches back to 1978, when the West Bank Cafe reshaped it’s basement into the Downstairs Theatre Bar. Under the artistic direction of comedian Lewis Black, it quickly became a hub for emerging artists, producing hundreds of readings, workshops, and full productions. At midnight on Saturday nights, the legendary Free Show, hosted by composer and music director Rusy Magee, brought to the stage an array of performers and misfits, cementing the West Bank Café as the place to be for theater artists. The stage was a proving ground for future stars: an undiscovered Tony Shalhoub, Holly Hunter, Mary Testa, and Mark Linn-Bakerhoned their craft here. It was where Aaron Sorkin developed his first two plays—his debut starring an unknown Nathan Lane. Warren Leight’s Side Man was first workshopped on our stage, with Edie Falco in the cast. Act One remained unchanged from our stage to its Tony-winning Broadway run! Being across the street from Playwrights Horizons, when Sunday in the Park with George needed more rehearsal space, Stephen Sondheim brought over Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin, teaching them Finishing the Hat for the first time at the Beechman’s piano. In the venue’s first fourteen years, more than 1,500 one-act plays were produced, many were terrible, many were legendary, and it immortalized the Beechman reputation as a hub for the theater community.
Lighting Design: Aiden Bezark
Interior Design: David Rockwell
Click here to visit the The Beechman website.
︎ @thebeechman
The Laurie Beechman Theater - 2025 - Illustration: Aiden Bezark - Photos: Michael Hull