The decision was economic: "The way tours are designed and priced now, even shows that fit into a small theatre can't recoup," Clear Channel general manager John Poland told the paper. Clear Channel stopped booking Fort Lauderdale's 1,200 seat Parker Playhouse in 2000. The 950-seat Royal Poinciana has been on the same lease to presenters since 1981, the paper reported. The lease changed hands as impresarios and corporate entities shifted and morphed, from Zev Bufman to PTG-Florida, SFX and Clear Channel.
There has been tension in recent years about the possibility that the playhouse site might become be acquired by a condominium developer.
