Curtain Call

Robert Cacioppo has been cooking since he was a kid in Brooklyn.

"Even when I was 12 or 13, I'd be making extra-fancy miniature pizzas on English muffins," says Florida Repertory Theatre's producing artistic director. Cacioppo scratches his culinary itch several times a season, preparing lively post-premiere meals at his home for Florida Rep's extended family.

"I like to say that every five weeks I throw a party for 60 of my closest friends," he jokes.

Cacioppo and his wife, Florida Rep associate producer Carrie Lund Cacioppo, have been hosting dinners for cast and crew, board members, donors and other local theater buffs since the late 1980s, when they ran the Pirate Playhouse on Sanibel Island. The tradition followed the couple to Fort Myers, where Florida Rep recently kicked off its eighth season; Oct. 14, they launch the Florida premiere of A Dash of Rosemary, a tribute to Rosemary Clooney.

Far from the lavish catered affairs that define the Gulfshore society circuit, dinner at Bob's is an artsy, informal affair. Just off McGregor Boulevard south of downtown, the Cacioppo home is a warm and whimsical place that-like its owners-welcomes guests with wide-open arms. Its theatrical character is implicit in the Italian marble floors, the flamboyant color scheme-a bright-red dining room, purple kitchen cabinets-and a wealth of vivid art. A typical post-performance party starts after 10:30 p.m. and can stretch into the wee hours, with revelers occasionally finding their way into the large pool just off the family room.

The atmosphere was just as bubbly at the rehearsal kick-off party, thanks to the Cacioppos' boundless hospitality and an inspired mix of guests. Along with creative and dramatic types and social butterflies, the crowd included a who's-who of Fort Myers business leaders, media, philanthropists and politicians. They mixed, mingled and cruised the buffet table, helping themselves to tender chicken sausage, roasted vegetables, bowtie pasta tossed with artichoke hearts, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto, and grilled tenderloin that carved like butter.

When they slowly began to drift out, with a final pat for the family golden retriever, Annie, guests took their pick from a basket of fresh mangoes plucked from one of the trees in the front yard.

The Cacioppos' parties are "when the real fun begins," said Lee County commissioner Bob Janes as the evening came to a close. He and his wife, Lynda, have missed just one Florida Rep production since the theater opened in 1998; Charley was to blame for their absence. "It takes a hurricane to keep us away."