Alhambra Dinner Theatre
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The Alhambra Dinner Theatre in Jacksonville, Florida is the oldest Dinner theater in Florida and second oldest in the United States. The facility has been providing audiences with professional Broadway-style shows for over forty years. [1]
[edit] History
The Alhambra was built by Jacksonville businessman Leon Simon in 1967. Since that time, the Alhambra has produced more than 340 plays, according to owner Tod Booth, Sr., who purchased the business in 1984. At times, the theatre has been something of a family affair. Jessica Booth of Mandarin, daughter of theater owner Tod Booth Sr. has appeared in a number of shows, as has his wife, Lisa Valdini. Son Tod Jr. began working as sort of an apprentice to his father, doing some acting, some directing and a lot of stage managing. He is now general manager and director of the Alhambra's Children's Theatre. [2] Tod Booth, Sr. is still a talented actor and occasionally takes a role, but most of the time, he stays behind the scenes, directing and producing the shows.[3]
In the early days of dinner theater, it was the stars—albeit faded--who were the main attraction. The Alhambra, like more than 100 other theaters across the country, provided career boosts for Hollywood has-beens whose names were still magic outside New York and Hollywood. "When their careers cooled, a star could learn a show and take it on the dinner theater circuit," according to Booth. "That one show could be a meal ticket for a year or two." Dinner theater productions also attracted game show hosts, moonlighting soap opera stars, one-time teen idols and even a few centerfold gals. The plays were sometimes atrocious, but the stars, in front of an appreciative audience and away from the haughty critics, often had fun with a weak script and made it their own. The first headliner to appear in Jacksonville was Dawn Wells, who played Mary Ann Summers on the TV sitcom, Gilligan's Island. Wells starred in the Alhambra's 1969 production of Barefoot in the Park. More than 100 other greats, near-greats and not-so-greats appeared at the Alhambra over the next 25 years.
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Alhambra’s Notable Cast Members Celebrity Production Year Ann B. Davis Lullaby; "3 on a Honeymoon" 1972 Artie Johnson Seven Year Itch 1973 Bernie Kopell The Sunshine Boys 2005 Betty Grable Born Yesterday 1973 Bob Crane Beginners Luck 1973 Bob Denver Paisley Convertible 1973 Broderick Crawford The Second Time Around 1976 Cesar Romero Never Get Smart with an Angel 1978 Claude Akins I Ought to Be in Pictures 1984 Cyd Charisse Kindling, Bell, Book & Candle 1978,81 Dana Andrews Best of Friends 1974 Dawn Wells Barefoot in the Park 1969 Dennis Cole And All the Girls Came Out to Play 1970 Dennis James The Impossible Years 1979 Don Ameche Girl in the Freudian Slip 1971 Dorothy Lamour Fallen Angels; Personal Appearance 1973,76 Dwayne Hickman Natalie Needs a Nightie 1974 Fannie Flagg Once More, with Feeling 1972 Forrest Tucker Plaza Suite; Captain Outrageous 1977,81 Frank Gorshin Breaking Legs 1995 Frank Sutton Last of the Red Hot Lovers 1972 Gail Bliss A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline 2000,01,02,04 Gale Gordon Never too late; Love & Kisses 1977,79 Gary Burghoff Boney Kern 1982 Gene Barry Hot Shot 1977 Gene Rayburn Lovers Leap 1980 George Hamilton 6 Rms Riv Vu 1974 Georgia Simmons Tobacco Road 1970 Gig Young Harvey 1974 Gordon Jump Norman, is that you? 1983 Hugh O'Brian Cactus Flower 1974 Imogene Coca A Girl Can Get Lucky; Plaza Suite 1970,71 Jack Cassidy Murder Among Friends 1976 Jack Kelley Under the Yum Yum Tree 1975 James Drury Catch Me If You Can; Prisoner of 2nd Avenue; California Suite 1972,76,79 Jay Thomas Chapter 2; See How They Run; A Gentleman and a Scoundrel 1980,82,82 Joey Bishop The Seven Year Itch 1981 John Carradine Tobacco Road 1970 Judy Carne Mary, Mary 1977 June Wilkinson Pajama Tops (3x); 90 Day Mistress 1970,75,76,78 Keith Carradine Tobacco Road 1970 King Donovan A Girl Can Get Lucky; Plaza Suite 1970,71 Lauren Tewes Born Yesterday 1981 Leanza Cornett Barefoot in the Park 1997 Lee Meredith Marriage Go Round 1980 Liv Lindeland Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? 1972 Lyle Waggoner Boeing, Boeing 1970 Mamie Van Doren In One Bed, Out The Other; A Dash of Spirits 1971,77 Marjorie Lord How the Other Half Lives 1974 Martha Raye Everybody Loves Opal; 1979,83 Martin Milner The Tender Trap 1980 Meredith MacRae Sunday in New York 1971 Mickey Rooney See How they Run; 1973,74 Morey Amsterdam Who Wants Fat Hair 1978 Morgan Fairchild Paisley Convertible; The Seven Year Itch 1973 Nancy Kulp Busybody 1976 Paige O'Hara The Sound of Music 1979,82 Pam Blair Cactus Flower 1974 Pernell Roberts Any Wednesday 1974 Pat O'Brien (actor) Paris is Out 1974 Pia Zadora The Drunkard 1971 Ray Walston You Know I can't Hear You When the Water's Running 1976 Richard Egan Hanky Panky; Broken Up 1978,79 Robert Morse Play It Again, Sam; Murder At The Howard Johnsons; Wally's Cafe 1978,80,84 Robert Q. Lewis Norman, Is That You? 1971 Robert Reed Wake Up, Darling 1974 Ruta Lee Goodbye, Charlie 1972 Sal Mineo How The Other Half Lives 1974 Sandra Dee 90 Day Mistress 1975 Sandy Dennis Same Time, Next Year 1979 Sid Caesar Last of the Red Hot Lovers 1982 Stephen Douglas I Do, I Do 1970 Tab Hunter The Tender Trap; Here Lies Jeremy Troy 1973,75 Vera Miles Painting Churches 1986 Veronica Hamel Cactus Flower 1974 Vivian Vance Arsenic and Old Lace 1974
Some of the stars had fun, but they also earned decent money -- generally between $1,500 and $5,000 per week, for six to eight weeks per show. Jacksonville also offered comfortable accommodations at the beach, generally nice, sunny weather, and days free to golf, shop and sightsee. The era of using former stars ended when old-timers started getting more opportunities for television and commercial work. "They could make more in a day doing a commercial than they could make during the entire run of dinner theater show, and they didn't have to travel," Booth said. "Plus, a lot of the stars just started dying off." Dinner Theatres as a whole had been dying, too. Actors' Equity Association (AEA) is the union that represents professional stage and film actors. In 1976, there were 147 dinner theatres associated with AEA across the country. In 1999, there are only nine, and 14 in 2003. The performers are professionals, and many boast lengthy resumes including movie, television and stage roles. Some may be stars of tomorrow, but few have names you’d recognize. The buffet-style dinners offer a standard menu: baked chicken, barbecue ribs, roast beef and seafood newberg. The stage itself actually rolls out from behind the theatre’s curtain into the audience, forming a thrust stage. Four levels with 400+ seats surround it on three sides, assuring that all tables have an unimpeded view. [4]
