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Mahaffey hopes for its rebirth

That's what officials are hoping for the theater, scheduled to reopen in March with new managers.

By CARRIE JOHNSON
Published November 28, 2005

	[Times photo: Cherie Diez]
	When the Mahaffey Theater, on First Street S in St. Petersburg, closed in May, it was in dire need of help. The roof leaked, the sprinkler system was faulty, the theater's foundation was out of money and the acts weren't drawing crowds, with the exception of the Florida Orchestra.

ST. PETERSBURG - After strolling across a 30-foot patio, patrons will enter the newly renovated Mahaffey Theater through a door in a three-story glass wall.

Crossing granite floors, they can gaze at Tampa Bay through a half-cylinder glass atrium overlooking the city's marina. Or they can grab a drink at one of the theater's four permanent concession stands.

Re-upholstered seats. More bathrooms. A new management company with a national reputation.

A lot is riding on the $20-million makeover of the Mahaffey. By the time it closed in May, the 2,000-seat theater was in dire need of help. The roof leaked. The sprinkler system was faulty. The theater's foundation was out of money. And, most significantly, the acts weren't drawing crowds, with the exception of the Florida Orchestra.

Now, civic leaders hope to transform the Mahaffey into one of the city's signature institutions, a landmark as recognizable as the Pier and as popular as BayWalk.

"This theater really will become a showpiece for the entire Tampa Bay area," said City Council member Bill Foster. "It will be as beautiful on the outside as it was on the inside."

The European-style theater always drew raves for its interior. The small size lent a sense of intimacy, and the acoustics were superior.

Beth Herendeen, assistant director of the city's downtown enterprise facilities department, said patrons won't notice much of a change to the theater's interior when it reopens in March.

"It won't look dramatically different when you walk in the theater," she said. "It will just look refreshed."

The red velvet chairs will be re-upholstered in a similar fabric. Springs will be replaced where necessary. The floors will be painted. The backstage area will get a facelift.

But it's the lobby and the exterior of the building that will be transformed.

Herendeen said the intent of the new design is to better incorporate the waterside view. There will be much more glass, including the three-story "curtain" wall on the south entrance and the atrium overlooking the bay. The building will be able to withstand hurricane-force winds, Herendeen said.

The Sun Pavilion, on the second story of the theater building, will be redone with fewer pillars breaking up the water view. The finishings in the room, including the wall covering and the carpet, will also be replaced.

The former Backstage Lounge will be renovated and renamed, Herendeen said. Two staircases will be added to increase access to the upper floor.

All of the theater's mechanical systems, including heating, air conditioning and sprinklers, will be updated.

The city is paying for the renovation with an arrangement calle d tax increment financing, which relies on increasing property values. It takes city and county tax dollars generated downtown and spends them on approved projects.

Treasure Island businessman Bill Edwards also donated $2-million for the project. Edwards at one point offered to make an $8-million donation and a $2.35-million loan in exchange for managing the theater and the adjacent waterfront property as a concert venue for five years. He later withdrew after receiving what he called unfair scrutiny by the St. Petersburg Times .

Edwards' donation buys him no role in the management of the Mahaffey, officials said.

In fact, after years of struggling under the control of the city and a nonprofit foundation, the theater will have a private management group to book acts and oversee operations.

This month, the City Council approved a contract with SMG, a Philadelphia company that controls 34 performing arts centers nationwide, including three in Florida.

The company was selected from three finalists who applied for management rights of the facility. David Metz, director of the downtown enterprise facilities department, said SMG's size and extensive contacts with national booking agencies made it desirable.

The company is owned by Hyatt and Aramark and is one of the nation's largest venue booking and management firms. It controls more than 170 facilities, including the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami, the Saenger Theatre in Pensacola and the Times-Union Center for the Performing Arts in Jacksonville.

SMG has hired a full-time manager and marketing director to oversee operations. The manager, Chris Fahlman, has worked in the entertainment business since 1969. He is the producer of Mowgli: The New Adventures of the Jungle Book , which aired on Fox Family Television, and has also served as a manager of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Marketing director Sabrina Anico has been the senior marketing manager at the Jackie Gleason Theater since 2000.

SMG will eventually have nine full-time staff members and about 50 part-time employees working at the Mahaffey, said Brian Kabatznick, vice president of business development.

SMG has promised to increase the number of shows from 216 the first year to 230 in five years and boost attendance from 160,026 to 173,127.

Shows at the theater will be a mix of popular music, Broadway productions, comedy and educational programming, Kabatznick said. The lineup for the upcoming season will be announced in the next few weeks, he said.

The theater's opening won't come a moment too soon for the Florida Orchestra, which has been performing at the Pasadena Community Church while the Mahaffey is closed. While the church has worked hard to accommodate the orchestra, concertgoers have been discouraged by less than ideal sightlines, acoustics and lighting.

The group's first concert at the Mahaffey on March 16 will feature Van Cliburn, who won the gold medal in the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow in 1958.

Leonard Stone, the orchestra's executive director, said he's looking forward to returning to the Mahaffey. He has had some discussions with the city about eventually building a new wing on the theater to accommodate the group's administrative offices.

Stone said he's also excited about working with SMG.

"I think they're a first-rate management operation," he said. "I've been very impressed."

--Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified November 28, 2005, 01:03:04]