After a run of 60 years as a hub of live entertainment in downtown Bradenton, the Riverfront Theatre faced its last act Tuesday when a bulldozer began knocking it to the ground to clear the space for development along the Manatee River.
The theater was the longtime home of the Manatee Players, the community theater troupe that presented hundreds of productions before moving out in 2013. After nearly a decade of fund-raising, the troupe opened its long-planned multi-million-dollar Manatee Performing Arts Center, which features two theater spaces. The old theater closed with a production of “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” followed by a tear-filled final tribute concert featuring many of the performers who had appeared on the stage over the years.