BoBan’s was a small room initially used as a rehearsal space in the theater. The coatroom that had served the lower lobby was no longer in use, so the wall between it and the rehearsal space was removed to make an “L” shaped room, just large enough to hold an audience of about 100.
In February of 1975, Henry Lowenstein produced a small original musical by J. Bernard Clark, “Bits of Junk” as a trial for the intimate venue. A couple of independent producers brought in shows that year, as well. In fall of 1976, the first full season of Bonfils productions were introduced as a separate season ticket for the theater. The Cabaret went on to host a total of 44 Bonfils productions between 1975 and the theater’s closure in 1985.
The cabaret was named for long-time beloved director Bob Bannister, who died suddenly from a heart attack in September, 1975. While the loss was a shock to Bonfils staff, having his name on the cabaret was a comfort to all who knew him.
114 images
- Click on an image for a larger view and to see comments in the Lightbox.
- Lightbox keyboard controls:
- Left Arrow – Previous Image
- Right Arrow – Next Image
- Arrow Up – Show/Hide Titles and Captions
- Arrow Down – Show/Hide Filmstrip
- Our current lightbox does not permit zooming in on pictures. A future version will allow this soon…
Images from BoBan’s Cabaret
Jump to a list of shows presented at BoBan’s Cabaret
List of BoBan’s Cabaret productions
Jump up to Photos
Season | Opening_Date | Title | Director |
74-75 | Sun, Feb 23, 1975 | Bits Of Junk | Bob Bannister |
76-77 | Fri, Sep 10, 1976 | What’s A Nice Country Like You Doing In A State Like This? | Bev Newcomb |
76-77 | Eat Your Heart Out | Bev Newcomb | |
76-77 | Joie De Vivre | Betsy Maxwell | |
77-78 | Fri, Sep 23, 1977 | Hark! | Bev Newcomb |
77-78 | Fri, May 05, 1978 | By Strouse | Bob Wells |
77-78 | Talk Show | Bev Newcomb | |
77-78 | The Me Nobody Knows | Buddy Butler | |
78-79 | Fri, Sep 15, 1978 | The Club | Bev Newcomb |
78-79 | Fri, Nov 10, 1978 | Jacques Brel Is Alive And Well And Living In Paris | Bonnie Eckard |
78-79 | Fri, Jan 12, 1979 | Sizwe Banzi Is Dead | Buddy Butler |
78-79 | Fri, Jan 12, 1979 | The Island | Buddy Butler |
78-79 | Fri, Mar 16, 1979 | Hold Me! | Bob Wells |
79-80 | Tue, Oct 16, 1979 | The Mandrake | Bob Wells |
79-80 | Fri, Nov 16, 1979 | Vanities | Bev Newcomb |
79-80 | Fri, Jan 11, 1980 | In The House Of Blues | Buddy Butler |
79-80 | 2 By 5 Plus | Bev Newcomb | |
79-80 | The Ascent Of Mt. Fuji | Susan Ross | |
80-81 | Fri, Sep 05, 1980 | New Faces Of I980 | Bev Newcomb |
80-81 | Fri, Nov 07, 1980 | Piano Bar | Bob Wells |
80-81 | Fri, Jan 16, 1981 | Isadora Duncan Sleeps With The Russian Navy | Bob Wells |
80-81 | Fri, Mar 20, 1981 | Paul Robeson | Buddy Butler |
80-81 | Fri, May 01, 1981 | The Fantasticks | Bev Newcomb |
81-82 | Fri, Sep 18, 1981 | Remembrance | Buddy Butler |
81-82 | Sat, Dec 12, 1981 | Sorrows Of Stephen | Bob Wells |
81-82 | Fri, Jan 15, 1982 | Trixie True, Teen Detective | Bev Newcomb |
81-82 | Fri, Mar 05, 1982 | Home | Buddy Butler |
81-82 | Fri, Apr 16, 1982 | Cole | Bev Newcomb |
82-83 | Thu, Sep 16, 1982 | Ain’t Misbehavin | Richard Maltby Jr |
82-83 | Thu, Nov 11, 1982 | Coming Attractions | Bob Wells |
82-83 | Thu, Jan 13, 1983 | Waiting For The Parade | Bev Newcomb |
82-83 | Thu, Mar 10, 1983 | Wallenberg | Bob Wells |
82-83 | Thu, May 19, 1983 | March Of The Falsettos | Bob Wells |
83-84 | Fri, Sep 16, 1983 | I’m Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road | Bev Newcomb |
83-84 | Fri, Nov 11, 1983 | Dracula: The Musical | Buddy Butler |
83-84 | Fri, Jan 20, 1984 | Status Quo Vadis | Bob Wells |
83-84 | Fri, Apr 06, 1984 | Blues At Sunrise | Buddy Butler |
83-84 | Fri, May 18, 1984 | Beyond Therapy | Bob Wells |
84-85 | Fri, Sep 07, 1984 | They’re Playing Our Song | Buddy Butler |
84-85 | Fri, Nov 09, 1984 | What’s A Nice Country Like You STILL Doing In A State Like This? | Bev Newcomb |
84-85 | Sun, Jan 13, 1985 | Bubbling Brown Sugar | Buddy Butler |
84-85 | Fri, Mar 15, 1985 | Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You | Bob Wells |
84-85 | Fri, Mar 15, 1985 | The Actors Nightmare | Bob Wells |
84-85 | Sat, Sep 14, 1985 | The Gilded Cage | Bob Wells |