The Roanoke Rapids Theatre is without a manager sooner than city leaders expected.

UGL Unicco said Monday that it was walking away from the troubled venue, about 90 miles northeast of Raleigh, because it had to pay vendors and other expenses out of pocket. Roanoke Rapids owes Unicco about $100,000, according to a company statement.

Roanoke Rapids' City Council, after a lengthy discussion behind closed doors, last week voted to end an agreement with Unicco. Officials expected a 30-day transition, but Unicco said it was in an "untenable position."

"UGL Unicco is forced to leave this project immediately," the statement said.

The city hired Unicco in November to take over theater management from Randy Parton, for whom the complex was built and originally named. Leaders were dismayed that under Parton's leadership ticket sales fell short of expectations.

Roanoke Rapids borrowed $21.5 million to build the theater and brought in Parton, brother of country music's Dolly Parton, as manager and lead performer. The theater was meant to anchor an entertainment district that was supposed to revive an economy hobbled by factory closings.

Unicco, whose headquarters is near Boston, helped jump-start the venue after Parton left. It booked a string of performers, and attendance increased.

But something went awry. Mayor Drewery Beale earlier said the decision to terminate the Unicco agreement stemmed from a desire to save money. Between Dec. 24 and Jan. 20, the city paid Unicco a $20,888 management fee.

The mayor said Monday that other issues factored into the city's decision. He declined to elaborate but said city officials would offer details later. Beale said the decision to withhold the $100,000 payment to Unicco came on the advice of the city attorney.