His theatre career began with his purchase of the Royal Alexandra, a 1,500-seat, beaux-arts-style, proscenium-stage theatre that was built in 1907. By the early '60s, it had been losing money for a decade. Mr. Mirvish bought it for $250,000. He said at the time that he knew nothing about theatre — indeed, he had never even been inside a theatre — but he recognized a bargain.