Nearly 20 years later, that staff has ballooned to 150 people and the casts for the musical melodramas are full of veteran thespians.

The dinner-show venue - where audiences can gobble up pizza or snarf down buffet goodies while jeering villains and cheering heroes in spirited spoofs on stage - attracts season-ticket holders from as far as Idaho and Nevada.

"It's a great kind of unique entertainment venue that just takes on its own personality," said Murray Cultural Arts Director Mary Ann Kirk.

That playhouse personality, with both a cabaret and dinner theater, has been the foundation for satisfying audiences for the past two decades.

But perhaps even more impressive is the foundation the destination playhouse has become for Murray's historic downtown-restoration effort.

Barely five years ago, Todd engineered a full-scaled renovation of his theater and two neighboring buildings to kick-start the restoration project.

Millions of Todd's dollars, boosted by grants and loans from the city, turned the east side of the 4800 South State Street block into a downtown gem.

"When we first moved here, this portion of historic downtown Murray was a pretty run-down place," Todd recalled. "[The restoration] has been very successful, but is it finished? No; it has a long way to go."

A few counterparts on the west side of State - including Day Murray Music - already have followed suit, and now others are considering the same.

City officials are thrilled with the momentum that Todd has generated.

"It made people believers that there is a future for downtown historic Murray," Mayor Dan Snarr said. "I always have just been in awe of what his vision was."

Todd credits the city with playing an essential role in the effort.

In addition to providing grants and loans, city officials last year adopted a historic-overlay district that establishes guidelines for rehabilitating historic buildings and constructing new structures in the area.

The city also was key in successfully petitioning for the block to be included on the National Register of Historic Places. The 20-acre area - bounded roughly by 4800 South, Vine Street, Clark Street and Center Street - was added in 2005.

"[Mayor] Dan Snarr and the City Council have got completely behind the effort," Todd said. "They've been major contributors. Without them, it never would have happened."

And as Todd prepares for the 2007 season of melodramas and comedies, the city is working to get more players to the restoration table.

Snarr believes the future of the historic block looks bright.

"There are some major out-of-state developers that have caught the vision of developing the whole west side of State Street back to the railroad tracks," Snarr said.

As with all good things, it doesn't happen overnight. Just as his Desert Star Playhouse took years of hard work to become a destination spot, Todd knows Murray's historic downtown will need time and care.

"It's an ongoing process," he said. "There is still a lot to be done. It takes decades to do a complete restoration."

toddh@sltrib.com