Chanhassen Dinner Theatres to be sold and stay open

Owners of the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres have signed a purchase agreement to sell the business to Greg Frankenfield, cofounder of Magenic Technologies, a Golden Valley information technology firm. If all goes as planned, Frankenfield would take over the operation about Jan. 1 from producer Thomas K. Scallen.

Frankenfield, 49, is a theater enthusiast who lives in Shorewood. He said in an interview Monday afternoon that he intends to continue running Chanhassen as a dinner theater.

"Absolutely," he said. "Literally, we're going to continue the schedule just as it's been and continue operating it as it has been. We hope to bring in some more resources and make the thing better."

The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Oklahoma!" is in previews at the main theater, and is scheduled to open Friday.

Frankenfield said he has been in discussions for several months with Scallen, who has been seeking a buyer for more than a year. Terms of the deal were not released.

Scallen purchased the company from founder Herb Bloomberg in 1989. Bloomberg was a Chanhassen real-estate developer and built the theater in 1968. At one time, four separate stages were operated. Today, two theaters -- including the 625-seat main room -- are in full-time production, with the smaller playhouse used intermittently. Chanhassen is one of the largest theaters in the Twin Cities, with about 250,000 tickets sold annually.

A theater lover

A major supporter of Mu Performing Arts and an actor with Minnetonka Community Theater, Frankenfield served three years on the Mixed Blood board of directors. He left in July.

"When he left here, he said, 'There's something big I'm about to announce,'" said Mixed Blood artistic director Jack Reuler. "I guess this is it."

In addition, Frankenfield's wife, Marissa, served on the Mu board and his son, Steven, was in the company's summer production of "Flower Drum Song."

Frankenfield said he intends to split his time between Magenic and Chanhassen initially. On Monday afternoon, he was meeting staff members at the dinner theater, which employs 300 people. He said he hoped to talk with Michael Brindisi, who has been artistic director for the past 20 years.

Frankenfield acted in high school productions at Fridley, and during six years in undergraduate and grad school at the University of Minnesota.

"I just didn't go into it as a profession," he said.

Scallen's management company made news in 2006 when it flirted with the Mall of America to move the theater. At the time, Scallen's son, Tommy, had indicated that inefficiencies in the rambling building and the inability to sell more tickets to hot shows made it difficult to turn a profit at Chanhassen. Two years later, however, the current owners signed a lease to keep the theater operation in its present building -- which is still owned by Bloomberg Companies -- through 2013.

"The Chan" is one of the nation's largest dinner theaters and among the more successful. Chiefly under artistic directors Gary Gisselman and Brindisi it has staged shows that relied on Twin Cities talent and did not scrimp on production values. Among its better known alumni are Amy Adams, Loni Anderson, Peter Michael Goetz, Laura Osnes and Linda Kelsey.

Graydon Royce • 612-673-7299