A New Season

The broadway palm dinner Theatre in Fort Myers used to have a slogan: all musicals all the time. They don’t use that phrase anymore to promote their 450-seat theater, but the sentiment still stands.

"It’s what people want," says the Broadway Palm’s CEO and owner Will Prather. "It’s not Shakespeare. We’re here to entertain people. We’re not here to blaze new creative territory."

To Prather, that means giving people the most value for their money: an all-you-can-eat buffet meal and a good, solid musical—usually a well-loved classic, nothing controversial. After all, you don’t want to feed people and then give them indigestion, he says. The modern production of Cabaret, scheduled for April 10 to May 31, is as edgy as they get.

"There’s a more sophisticated audience out there that does want edgier productions," he says. "But we don’t want to throw three or four of them into our season."

It’s a formula that works well for them—the theater celebrates its 15th anniversary this season. "It’s said the two riskiest businesses out there are restaurants and theaters," Prather says, "with only one in five restaurants surviving past the fifth year." The dinner theater is both.

But his theater is thriving. It has 8,500 subscribers, many of them long-time attendees. And in April, the theater served its 2 millionth customer.

The Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre opened in the Royal Palm Square on Oct. 29, 1993, in a former Publix supermarket. It’s part of Prather Entertainment Group, which also owns the Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre in Pennsylvania and the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre West in Arizona. According to Prather, they’re the largest dinner entertainment business in the country; the company made $18 million last year.

Prather’s company will sometimes produce a show and run it consecutively at all three venues. And this year, he started a national touring leg of his company. Beehive opened in Boston in July and is traveling across the country, playing 40 different venues in 20 weeks, including a one-nighter at the Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall on Nov. 14.

The new Broadway Palm season also includes Buddy-The Buddy Holly Story, which runs from Oct. 4 to Nov. 17; Holly Jolly Christmas from Nov. 22 to Dec. 25; Guys and Dolls from Dec. 29 to Feb. 16; Anything Goes running from Feb. 21 to April 25; and The Wizard of Oz from June 5 to Aug. 9.

Guys in tropical shirts playing Jimmy Buffett songs are a dime a dozen in Southwest Florida. But just try finding a talented cabaret singer who knows how to put across a song. The Philharmonic Center for the Arts recognized the lack of a small, sophisticated venue and opened its Daniels Pavilion for a cabaret series three years ago.

"I felt there was a need for it," says Myra Daniels, founder, chairman and CEO of the Phil. "It’s a wonderful, intimate space." Audiences agreed, responding with enthusiasm to the new series. So this season, the Phil presents its third year of cabaret offerings, its largest yet, with performers each singing at 6 and 8:30 p.m. for two consecutive nights.

"We went from four performers to 12," Daniels says. "They’re all exclusive in our area. And we have some very new faces."

The 23-year-old Russian singing sensation Sophie Millman, March 7–8, often sells out jazz clubs and reached No. 1 on iTunes in Canada, France, Japan and the United States. Freda Payne, April 11–12, known for her No. 1 hit Band of Gold, performs a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald. And Daniels calls Roslyn Kind, Feb. 22–23, who has performed on Broadway and off-Broadway, "a multifaceted entertainer."

Singer/pianist David Pellegrene, Feb. 29-March 1, has performed at the Rainbow Room, Palace Theatre and New Amsterdam Theater in New York City, as well as at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center. Tony Award-winning singer Debbie Gravitte, March 14–15, is equally at home singing on Broadway as she is performing with orchestras.

The Vinnie Zummo Trio, featuring Janie Zummo, April 18–19, who’ve played the Blue Note in New York, will perform jazz, western swing and blues. And Grammy Award-winning jazz vocalist Steve Tyrell, who has collaborated with performers such as Ray Charles and Dave Koz, performs March 26–27.

Soulful singer Arnold McCuller was so popular last season he returns again for four more performances Jan 11–12. And the Ben Taylor Trio, Jan. 4–5, performs an eclectic blend of rock, pop and folk. Taylor is the son of James Taylor and Carly Simon.

The cabaret series also offers something a little different this season: Comedy troupe Chicago City Limits, Feb. 8–9, presents Laughing Matters and blues guitarist/singer Bill Wharton, known as the Sauce Boss, performs Jan. 25–26 while cooking gumbo—then feeds the audience. (Jimmy Buffett even wrote a song about him—I Will Play for Gumbo.)

For tickets or more information, call (239) 597-1900.