History
Filmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater History
The story of The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater began in 1950, when Golden Era Legends graced the stage of The Miami Beach Municipal Auditorium. Guests came from around the world to watch such shows as song and dance performances, comedy or even the occasional boxing match. Sometimes, the real performances were in the seats - Frank Sinatra, Bob Hope and Jack Benny were regular visitors to the auditorium and often caused quite a stirring.
With the television boom in the 1960s, shows such as The Dick Clark Show, The Ed Sullivan Show and the Miss USA and Miss Universe Pageants were often filmed in the auditorium. In 1964, the city of Miami Beach offered Jackie Gleason the opportunity to film his show here. Mr. Gleason agreed to move his show to sunny Miami Beach, where he declared: “Miami Beach audiences are the greatest in the world!”
In the 1970s, having been renovated by Morris Lapidus and renamed Miami Beach Theater of the Performing Arts, it became a regular stop for touring Broadway shows including: Gypsy (starring Angela Lansbury), Timbuktu (starring Eartha Kitt), Carousel (starring Robert Goulet), and West Side Story (starring Debbie Allen).
Performing arts took center stage in the 1980s with memorable performances by pianist Vladimir Horowitz, Itzhak Perlman, and Rudolf Nureyev. Broadway productions included: My Fair Lady (starring Rex Harrison), Sugar Babies (starring Mickey Rooney and Ann Miller), and Cabaret (starring Joel Gray). In 1987, the City of Miami Beach recognized Jackie Gleason’s contributions to the community by renaming the theater, The Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts.
The 1990s saw the birth of the theater as both a great theatrical and performance center (Rent, Phantom of the Opera and Riverdance), as well as a concert hall – drawing such shows as Marc Anthony, El Puma and the Gypsy Kings, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli, Seal, and Lenny Kravitz.
In 2007, the theater was again reborn, undergoing a multi-million dollar transformation. Operated by Live Nation, the future of the music business, The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater showcases the biggest names in live entertainment. Steeped in rock ‘n’ roll history while maintaining cultural relevance, our theater passionately combines the rich tradition of the Fillmore Experience with the energy and passion of Miami Beach.
Filmore History
In the mid-1960s, Bill Graham’s, The Fillmore Auditorium, became the focal point for psychedelic music and counterculture in general, with acts such as The Grateful Dead, The Who, Cream, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, Pink Floyd, The Doors and Big Brother and the Holding Company performing at the venue. In addition to rock, Graham also featured non-rock acts such as Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Charles Lloyd, Aretha Franklin, and Otis Redding as well as poetry readings. The venue had a legendary ambience as well as the stellar performances, often with swirling light-show projections, strobe lights and uninhibited dancing. At the end of the evening, Bill Graham often stood next to a huge bin of fresh apples at the front exit saying good night to the patrons, handing out apples, and handing out free posters that were custom designed as souvenirs for each show by poster artists who would become as famous as The Fillmore, itself.
To choose one place to personify the San Francisco music scene, you need look no further than The Fillmore, where Bill Graham changed the way we look and listen to music today. When you went to The Fillmore, chances are it wasn’t just to listen to legendary performers; it was to participate in a cultural and often history-making event.