The Old Reliable Theatre Tavern (or The O.R.) was a theater and bar located at 213 E. 3rd Street in the
Alphabet City neighborhood of New York City's
East Village, and played a vital part of the early
Off-Off-Broadway scene. The Old Reliable presented plays by Guy Gauthier, Ilsa Gilbert,
William M. Hoffman
William M. Hoffman (April 12, 1939 – April 29, 2017) was an American playwright, theatre director, editor, and professor.
Life and career
Hoffman was born in New York City to Johanna (Papiermeister), a jeweler, and Morton Hoffman, a caterer. ...
, Michael McGrinder,
Stanley Nelson,
Jeannine O'Reilly,
Robert Patrick
Robert Hammond Patrick (born November 5, 1958) is an American actor. Known for portraying villains and honorable authority figures, he is a Saturn Award winner with four other nominations.
Patrick dropped out of college when drama class sparked ...
, Joseph Renard, Donald Kvares and Thomas Terefenko.
The Old Reliable was initially a working-class
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
*Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...
bar, until late 1963 when the owner sought to turn it into a "Village bar", with the advice of a passing
hipster. The neighborhood around the Old Reliable was dangerous during its heyday; popular actor/director Neil Flanagan quipped, "It's easy to find. Just turn left at the burning automobile." Playwright Jeannine O'Reilly said, "It's no wonder we get such good audiences. Everyone's afraid to come here alone." Robert Patrick described the neighborhood as "downtown Lebanon".
There was for a period of time a Second Avenue bar called Downtown Beirut.
References
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Theatres in Manhattan
East Village, Manhattan