The FRONT ROW THEATER, built at an approximate cost of $3 million, opened on July 5, 1974. It was located in HIGHLAND HTS. on Wilson Mills Road west of I-271 on the current site of a Home Depot. Designed by SHAKER HTS. resident Richard R. Jencen, it was the first all-weather theater built in Greater Cleveland since the CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE in 1927. The Front Row seated 3,200 and was approximately 300 ft. by 270 ft. However, as a “theater in the round,” its last row was only 59 ft. from the stage. A circular curtain concealed the stage lighting, and the entire stage slowly revolved during each performance, thus providing clear sightlines for every spectator. No pillars blocked the audience’s view.
Las Vegas-style attractions were the theater’s meat and potatoes, with appearances by Sammy Davis, Jr., Wayne Newton, Liberace, Harry Belafonte, Tony Bennett, Johnny Mathis, Liza Minnelli, Tom Jones, Mel Tormé, and Steve Lawrence & Eydie Gormé. However, the Front also brought in comedians (Cheech & Chong, Bill Cosby, BOB HOPE, Victor Borge, George Carlin, Bob Newhart) as well as popular and contemporary musicians ranging from Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Paul Anka, and Neil Sedaka to Alice Cooper, Cheap Trick, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Al Green, Dionne Warwick, and Isaac Hayes. The theater also hosted wrestling matches, high school graduations, and periodic musicals such as Fiddler on the Roof. The Michael Stanley Band’s last hurrah comprised 12 performances between Dec. 16, 1986, and Jan. 3, 1987. Roy Orbison died two days after a Front Row performance on Dec. 4, 1988.
The original five owners of the Front Row were Nate and Mollie Dolin of BRATENAHL, Dominic Visconsi of CHAGRIN FALLS, Lawrence S. Dolin of BEACHWOOD, and Len Luxenberg. However, the theater often was the subject of news reports alleging the involvement of silent partners such as Mob-connected Teamsters president Jackie Presser. After nineteen years of operation, Lawrence Dolin announced that the Front Row would close in July 1993, with its bookings transferred to PLAYHOUSE SQUARE theaters in downtown Cleveland.
Updated by Christopher Roy 3 December 2024