Broadway power couple buys NYC cafe, saves basement theater where Joan Rivers had last gig

The show must go on.

A Broadway power couple is buying the long-struggling Hells Kitchen West Bank Cafe – saving from closure a quirky but notorious basement theater where Joan Rivers had her final gig.

Producers Tom and Michael D’Angora now own the cafe and its performance space the Laurie Beechman Theater, whose visitors over the years include Stephen Soundheim, Al Pacino and Tennessee Williams.

“This has meant a lot to us for a long time,” Tony nominee Tom D’Angora told the Post Monday.

The couple, who live just across the street from the cafe, will take over from owner Steve Olsen, 70, who opened the cafe in 1978. Slight renovations that will temporarily close the spot are planned.

Michael D’Angora, a producer of “How to Dance in Ohio” and the 2024 revival of “Cabaret,” called the new endeavor “crazy,” adding the purchase started as part of the effort to help Olsen and his business — an iconic part of the neighborhood and the theater community.

“This was not on our bingo card,” he said. “It’s just crazy that this new chapter has kind of fallen into our laps.”

Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

The cafe has weathered a series of financial struggles, with its latest hurdle a planned closure in summer that was only staved off by the fundraising efforts of Broadway stars.

The D’Angoras had previously run a fundraiser after a lack of a COVID bailout money first caused the cafe to turn to GoFundMe in 2020 when fans raised $350,000 to keep the lights on.

In June, they spearheaded a GoFundMe that raised over $124,000 to save the spot in June alongside actor Joe Iconis, after Olsen announced the restaurant would have to close its doors by August after they continued to reel from a lack of financial assistance.

The D’Angora’s then swooped in to create a sustainable business plan with Olsen and Related Companies — the owner and operator of Manhattan Plaza.

After careful consideration, Olsen chose to step down, entrusting the D’Angoras with the future of the establishment, according to the couple.

“We are eternally grateful for the support we have received from our Hell’s Kitchen and Theater communities and beyond through our illustrious 46-plus years on Theatre Row,” said Steve Olsen, who had owned the spot since age 24.

The restaurant will close beginning on Dec 15, with a grand reopening slated for January 2025 after a splurge on “necessary renovations.”

The Broadway power couple said they are hoping for just a small “facelift,” to the upstairs restaurant, and will mainly focus on improving the behind-the-scenes infrastructure.

The biggest changes, the D’Angoras said, will be to the downstairs Laurie Beechman Theatre. New additions will revitalize the space so it can better host theatrical workshops and evening shows.

“In the evenings it can be a space for Broadway stars for the best of the best … for Broadway, burlesque jazz, cabaret, all the wonderful entertainment that make up our community,” Tom D’Angora said.

Management, bartenders, waitstaff, and the menu favorites will all remain the same in the iconic spot, the D’Angoras pledged.

“And, for all those personal relationships and shared history we have forged with our customers and friends,” he said.

Local politicians praised the news.

“I’m grateful to Tom D’Angora & Michael D’Angora for stepping up to save these iconic institutions whose storied legacy couldn’t be in better hands,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal said.

“This is some of the best news I’ve heard in a long time,” added City Council member Erik Bottcher.

Though the West Bank Cafe is officially saved, the D’Angoras said there is still a lot of work ahead.

“There’s so much going on, it’s going to be a fun adventure,” Michael D’Angora said.