{"id":461,"featured":0,"modified":"2026-03-04 21:32:00","latitude":41.50222519753916827767170616425573825836181640625,"longitude":-81.68936312198638916015625,"title":"Colonial Theater","subtitle":null,"fullsize":"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/4c8ae9c01c58a84ebd53011d15eac9da.jpg","address":"815 Superior Ave, Cleveland OH","zoom":17,"creator":["Heidi Fearing"],"description":"Even before the Colonial Theater opened in 1903, vaudeville had emerged in America as a professionalized and more respected version of minstrel and burlesque shows.  By the time the first act hit the Colonial Theater&#039;s stage, variety shows had grown tremendously successful as they evolved into &#039;polite vaudeville.&#039; Like other Cleveland playhouses, the Colonial Theater embraced this style of entertainment.  <br />\r\n<br />\r\nEntertainers who appeared on opening night at the Colonial included Ida Fuller, &quot;the greatest woman illusionist in the world&quot;; Alcide Capitaine, who demonstrated her strength through acrobatics and other feats; a singing comedian; a ventriloquist; and an acrobatic comedy given by the Lavine Cameron trio. Not long after opening night, trick-performing animals, including dogs, monkeys, and a pig named &quot;Connie,&quot; also appeared at the theater.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nBeginning in the 1890s, large theater business began to control theaters across the country.  Like other Cleveland playhouses, the Colonial Theater changed hands a number of times to both local and national big business owners. In the case of the Colonial, the switch meant a substantial change in the theater&#039;s productions. In early 1904, the Drew &amp; Campbell Theater Company was able to secure a lease over the Colonial. In order to get control of the theater, they were obligated to sign a contract stating that they would not allow vaudeville to continue there. Two days shy of the once independent theater&#039;s one-year anniversary, Drew &amp; Campbell surrendered the Colonial&#039;s stage to the Vaughan Glaser Stock Company.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nAfter five years under Vaughan Glaser, the Colonial was back in the hands of an independent manager who was neither part of the big-business theater trusts nor connected to any outside stock company. F. Ray Comstock leased the theater in 1909. A year later, however, Ray Comstock leased the theater to the Shuberts — major business owners who controlled theaters across the country and who had showed interest in the Colonial since the fall of 1903.  In the fall of 1918, the Colonial Theater&#039;s success under Shubert led to a name change. From that point on it was advertised as the Shubert Colonial.<br />\r\n<br />\r\nPerformances continued at the theater until 1930. Although Clevelanders at the time were unaware of the fact, &quot;Mysteries of Love&quot; was the Colonial Theater&#039;s last show. The show featured artist models and was advertised as being &quot;For Men Only.&quot; It turned out, however, to be nothing more than a lecture-show. Because the show did not fulfill the expectations for risqué entertainment, Police Inspector George J. Matowitz put a stop to it, saying that the theater was &quot;obtaining money under false pretenses.&quot; After Matowitz kept the theater from reopening the show, no other performances were given at the Colonial. In 1932, the long-empty theater was torn down to make way for a parking lot.","sponsor":null,"accessinfo":"Demolished","lede":null,"website":null,"related_resources":["\"Colonial Theater.\" <em>Encyclopedia of Cleveland History</em>. <a href=\"https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/colonial-theater\">case.edu/ech/articles/c/colonial-theater</a>","Vacha, John. <em>Showtime in Cleveland: The Rise of a Regional Theater Center.</em> Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2001."],"factoids":[],"files":{"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/4c8ae9c01c58a84ebd53011d15eac9da.jpg":{"id":4390,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"The Colonial Theatre","description":"The Colonial first opened on 16 March, 1903 with a spectacular lineup of vaudeville performances. The price paid for a box at the Colonial is a testament to vaudeville&#039;s growth in popularity and appeal to Cleveland&#039;s upper class.  The highest amount paid at an auction for a box for the theater&#039;s opening night was $35, a hefty sum in 1903. Furthermore, all 1,472 seats that night were filled and the Plain Dealer was able to print a lengthy list of Cleveland&#039;s &quot;society&quot; who attended that night. | Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections","thumbnail":"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/4c8ae9c01c58a84ebd53011d15eac9da.jpg"},"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/606857c3710a7ad404e2c07d2ea8af36.jpg":{"id":4391,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"The Colonial Theatre Building, early 1900s","description":"On March 14, 1904, the theater changed hands from Drew &amp; Campbell to the Vaughan Glaser Stock Company which successfully ran the theater for several seasons. | Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections","thumbnail":"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/606857c3710a7ad404e2c07d2ea8af36.jpg"},"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/b43eb1f32bbbd8eaf65b3e9106da5155.jpg":{"id":4392,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Summer Ticket, 1910","description":"The Colonial Theatre&#039;s typical season lasted from fall until the late spring months. During the summer months, however, the Colonial continued to entertain Cleveland with legitimate theater such as local and national plays. | Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections","thumbnail":"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/b43eb1f32bbbd8eaf65b3e9106da5155.jpg"},"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/f9a0b0ddb0eecf734a033e6dbbfa7400.jpg":{"id":4393,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Examining the Ruins","description":"By the time it gave its last performance, the Colonial had put on a wide range of productions, including vaudeville, comedic dramas, Shakespeare plays, musicals, and more.  In 1930, the Colonial Theater hosted its last show, called &quot;Mysteries of Love.&quot; | Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections","thumbnail":"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/f9a0b0ddb0eecf734a033e6dbbfa7400.jpg"},"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/b7c219bd0f2abf0394ec3ad7aff271ee.jpg":{"id":4394,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Demolition of the Colonial, 1932","description":"The Colonial Theater sat empty for two years until it was finally torn down in 1932.  The long-empty theater was torn down to make way for a parking lot. The Superior Building, 815 Superior Avenue East, took the place of what had once been the Colonial Theater&#039;s location. | Cleveland Memory Project, Cleveland State University Library Special Collections","thumbnail":"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/b7c219bd0f2abf0394ec3ad7aff271ee.jpg"},"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/fullsize/e0bf17008e651035a8ce592ab205f7e2.jpg":{"id":4395,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","title":"Vaudeville Advertisement, ca. 1899","description":"This advertisement from Cincinnati, Ohio depicts &quot;the epitome of vaudeville&quot; in the late 1800s.  Although derived from 19th-century-style minstrel shows (a form of variety entertainment that included sketches, dance, and music), 20th-century vaudeville was typically well structured in its acts. Divided into two parts, the productions began with a &quot;dumb act&quot; (silent) and ended with headliner performances. | Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA, LC-USZ62-24428 (b&amp;w film copy neg.)","thumbnail":"https://clevelandhistorical.org/files/square_thumbnails/e0bf17008e651035a8ce592ab205f7e2.jpg"}}}