Thomas MacMIllan Photo
The Playwright bar on Temple Street now belongs to the same company that owns the Black Bear, Hula Hanks, and a dozen other similar bars in Connecticut and New York.
Post Road Entertainment bought the sprawling landmark drinking establishment last Saturday. Stephen Deierlein, a managing partner at PRE, has stepped in to manage Playwright.
On Wednesday evening he was in his new bar, orchestrating St. Paddy’s day festivities.
Post Road Entertainment (PRE) is a Stamford-based company that owns a chain of bars in New York and Connecticut. The company owns two Hula Hanks locations and eight Black Bear Saloons, among other pubs, bars, and clubs.
Wearing a green T‑shirt that read “I showed me lucky charms at the Playwright!” Deierlein talked about the future of the bar.
“We’re bringing it back to what it once was,” he said. The plan is to do some work to bring out the church-like architectural elements that make the Playwright so distinctive.
“It will remain an Irish bar and grill,” Deierlein said, but it will get “a fresh coat of paint.”
The menu may see some minor adjustments as well, he said. The Playwright name is staying— for now.
The bar may be closed for a couple of days in March, for work to be done, Deierlein said.
Deierlein later said PRE has offered to keep all Playwright staff on under the new ownership. “Many have chosen to stay on through out the changes and are excited about the positive changes ahead,” he said.
Asked about rumors that PRE planned to combine the Playwright and the neighboring Black Bear Saloon into one big mega-bar, Deierlein said they were false.
He declined to speak on the record about the reason the Playwright’s former owners decided to sell the bar.
Management at the Playwright bar in Hamden declined to comment on the sale.