by Natasha Khairullah
Staff Writer
Jennifer Becket was the only 7-year-old in her class whose list of hobbies included jump roping, climbing trees and “theater”. She says she owes that to the Alhambra Dinner Theater in Jacksonville. Since the age of four, Becket has been going to see shows at the Beach Boulevard theater on a monthly basis, deepening her love for showtunes, Seafood Newberg and all things related.
Today, the 31-year-old mother of two takes her own children to the Alhambra Theater every month to see a new show. She says it’s the beginning of a family tradition that she hopes will last for many generations.
Becket is just one of many individuals who grew up visiting the signature theater, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary in November of this year. According to Owner Tod Booth, it’s the patronage from people just like Becket that has helped keep the independent, for-profit theater open.
“There’s no business like show business, but it’s just that – a business,” said Booth, 61, who is also the theater’s executive director and producer.
“We’re a unique type of theater in the sense that we rely solely on ticket sales to survive. The community itself is the very reason why we’re here today and still running strong.”
Opened back in 1967, the theater was one of the city’s only entertainment destinations. In 1984 while in search of settling down somewhere with his family, Booth – who was a well-known classically trained actor living in Chicago at the time – was approached by the theater’s then-owner to help turn things around during a period of hard times, said Booth.
“I got there, bought the theater that night and, two weeks later, moved to Jacksonville. I have been here ever sine,” he said.
Following Booth’s takeover, the theater’s net profits went from $700,000 in 1984 to $2.5 million in 1985 and has since turned into what Booth calls a reliable “destination and event,” serving dinner and providing guests with shows featuring local and nationally known performers.
Today, it generates an average $5 million in ticket sales each year from productions like “Grease,” “Steel Magnolias” and “Little Shop of Horrors.”
“At the same time it’s a business – technically three businesses if you include the bar and the restaurant – and so there are numerous expenses,” said Booth.
The overhead operating cost to run the Alhambra is about $60,000 a week and includes performers’ salaries, benefits and housing, he added.
“Sometimes things are good and sometimes things are bad and honestly, it’s a rough business. The last two years have been especially hard with all the Beach Boulevard construction.”
Unlike other community theaters that are non-profits who receive state and/or federal finding, Alhambra is a for-profit business and its main source of revenue has to come from tickets and only tickets.
“This is my livelihood and this is my business and this is how I put food on the table,” said Booth, adding that the art of “balancing the season” has to be mastered in order to take hits and still at least break even.
“I have to accommodate my audience a lot more than other theaters because if I have a bad (show) run, I can’t say to someone, ‘give me a check or underwrite my show.’ Therefore I plan accordingly between the ones that I know will do well and the ones that won’t.”
An example Booth pointed out was last year’s performances of “La Cage Aux Folles” which wasn’t as well received as some of the theaters more successful shows such as “Cinderella” and “The Wizard of Oz.”
“That’s the nature of the business,” said Booth.
“I call it tailor-made Broadway for Jacksonville. We take our calculated risks.”
In addition to the dinner theater itself, The Alhambra Company has its own advertising division as well as a shop that builds its sets and performer’s costumes.
Booth said although the divisions are separate, they all operate under the Alhambra Company which operates under the umbrella of Tod Booth Productions.
“Again, this all helps me to keep the balance and take hits where I can while still keeping the quality intact.”
Booth may have to take some precautions with his shows when it comes to lining up the season’s productions and the language used in the scripts but he says he still gets an overwhelming response from thespians, nation-wide and locally.
“You go to New York, see a big show where they put all this money into it but the act is no better than you’ll see at the Alhambra,” he said. “We’re limited by our funds and space so we can’t do all those sorts of things but you get the same quality of performers and direction here, and that’s what’s important. As long as the integrity of the work on my stage is good, I’m very pleased with things.”
To celebrate the 40th anniversary, the Alhambra will showcase a performance of the “Music Man” May 15-17 at the Jacoby Symphony Hall, directed by Booth with the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra performing the musical score.
In the meantime, Booth says he’s not going anywhere and that folks like Becket who hope to make a family tradition out of visiting him and his theater have nothing to worry about.
“Like they say, ‘Alhambra is an institution’,” said Booth, “And I’ve been institutionalized for 20 years now. So we’re not going anywhere.”