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Emerald Theatre

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Emerald Theatre
Grand opening in 2000
Map
Former namesMacomb Theatre
Club Hollywood
Great Lakes Dinner Playhouse
JD's Macomb Theater
Emerald Ballroom
Macomb Music Theatre
Location31 N. Walnut St.
Mt. Clemens, Michigan, United States
TypeConcert and live performance venue
CapacityGeneral admission 1,640
Construction
Opened1921
Renovated2000, 2016
ArchitectC. Howard Crane
Website
theemeraldtheatre.com

The Emerald Theatre is a live multi-use entertainment and concert venue located in downtown Mt. Clemens, Michigan.

The venue

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The 23,000 square foot venue contains a theater with a general admission capacity of 1,640 on three levels, with cabaret-style terraced seating and a dance floor that both convert to theater-style seating. The mezzanine level contains permanent theater seating and a standing room third floor grand balcony.[1] The venue hosts a variety of local and national concert, comedy, corporate, weddings and entertainment events.[2]

History

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Opened in 1921 as a grand movie palace and vaudeville live performance venue, the theater was known as the Macomb Theatre until 1987, when it went through a series of name, use and ownership changes.[3]

The theatre was designed by noted theater architect, C. Howard Crane, who also designed Detroit's Orchestra Hall and Fox Theatre.[4] One of the first grand movie palaces in the metropolitan Detroit area, the historic theater is the largest venue of its type in Macomb County.

From 2000 to 2012, the venue was known as the Emerald Theatre, and although one of metropolitan Detroit's most successful concert venues during that time, in July 2012, the theater was padlocked in foreclosure by Talmer Bank and Trust, closing the venue.[5]

On November 5, 2012, the theater was purchased and renovations began on the historic property at an anticipated cost in excess of $2 million.[6] Under new ownership, it was renamed the Macomb Music Theatre.[7] The newly renovated venue opened its doors on April 13, 2013, with a sold out jazz concert featuring Grammy award winners and nominees Gerald Albright, Norman Brown and Alex Bugnon, followed by the Grammy award-winning comedy duo Cheech & Chong on April 21, 2013, but it closed after a short run in 2014 as a result of a falling out between the partners.[8][9][10]

New owners purchased the property in February 2016, and after further restoration and repairs including a new marquee, redesigned Rock Room bar, and a revival of the Emerald Theatre name, the venue reopened in December 2016, once again hosting live concerts, corporate, wedding and other private and entertainment events.[11]


Productions

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Notable live events at the venue include the taping of VH1's "Kid Rock Christmas", featuring Kid Rock and Carmen Electra, and the Sports Illustrated Super Bowl XL Party in 2006.[12][13] Other artist performances at the venue include, among others, Uncle Kracker, Funkadelic, Vince Neil, Mike Posner, The Cult, The Insane Clown Posse, Styx, The Psychedelic Furs, Motörhead, Pearl Jam, and Michael Bolton.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ "Macomb Music Theatre". Retrieved December 26, 2012.
  2. ^ "The Emerald Theatre". Show Me Mount Clemens. Archived from the original on February 2, 2013. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  3. ^ "The Macomb Theatre" (PDF). Mount Clemens Public Library. Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  4. ^ "The Macomb Theatre" (PDF). Mount Clemens Public Library. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  5. ^ Hotts, Mitch (July 19, 2012). "Emerald Theatre shuts down – what's next?". The Macomb Daily. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  6. ^ Halcom, Chad (November 11, 2012). "Emerald aims to shine again". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved December 4, 2012.
  7. ^ "The Macomb Music Theatre". Retrieved December 25, 2012.
  8. ^ Hotts, Mitch (April 12, 2013). "Jazz triple bill opens new theater". Daily Tribune. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  9. ^ Hotts, Mitch (April 20, 2013). "Macomb Music Theatre hosts Cheech & Chong, adds Mitch Ryder to lineup". The Macomb Daily. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  10. ^ Hotts, Mitch (August 20, 2015). "Former Emerald Theatre to go on auction block". The Macomb Daily. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  11. ^ Hotts, Mitch (December 13, 2016). "Mount Clemens' Emerald Theatre is ready to re-open". The Macomb Daily. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  12. ^ Hotts, Mitch (July 13, 2012). "Despite legal woes, Emerald Theatre still open, hosting shows". The Macomb Daily. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  13. ^ "A Kid Rock Christmas (2003)". IMDb. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  14. ^ Horn, John (January 4, 2011). "The Gem of the Clem". Real Detroit Weekly. Archived from the original on December 2, 2013. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
  15. ^ "Emerald Theatre Past Concerts". songkick.com. Retrieved December 4, 2012.