THE VARIETY THEATRE

The Variety Theatre in Cleveland, Ohio had many lives. It opened with a showing of Clara Bow's racy film "Hula Girl", and continued on for decades until the theater was mainly used as a live music venue for groups ranging from Metallica to R.E.M. to Motörhead - in fact, is was a performance by the latter that was so face-meltingly loud that it caused plaster to rain down on the crowd. A concert venue no more, the community is rallying to save the historic theater and restore it to a more neighborhood friendly use. Find out more about the Variety Theatre in "Abandoned America: Dismantling the Dream".