Happy Anniversary! Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre’s 25-year Celebration
Aug 28, 2017 05:55PM ● By KevinBroadway Palm Dinner Theatre offers direct Broadway and New York-quality stage performances (Chicago pictured) with the option of a c hef's meal, a true experience. Photo courtesy of Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.
Bill
Clinton was president then and “Earring Magic Ken” was Barbie’s new best friend.
But 25 years ago the landmark impact in
Southwest Florida was the Prather family converting a closed grocery store into
the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre. The venue in 25 seasons has entertained at
least a million of us, has introduced kids to performance art, has made holidays
and special events memorable, has opened the door to promising actors and to
back-stage crews, today is the centerpiece of the revitalized Royal Palm Square
retail district in Fort Myers.
Starting in September, Broadway Palm this
season will run eight mainstage productions, five productions in The Off
Broadway Palm, four Children’s Theatre productions, five concerts and three
special engagements. The season opens Sept. 7 with Groovin: The 60s and 70s Musical, stages the musical Pippin in October and the holiday classic
A Christmas Story starting in late
November.
For several reasons, Broadway Palm has
transformed its neighborhood, certainly the way many in Southwest Florida view
live theater, offering direct Broadway and New York-quality stage performances
with the option of a dinner, a true experience for both the novice and
experienced theater-goers, a point of pride for its founding CEO. “What started
out as a dream for my family in 1993 to renovate a former Publix supermarket
into a first-class dinner theatre has come to fruition … and the theatre is a
resounding success,” says Will Prather, whose family also operates the Dutch
Apple Dinner Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the Prather Touring
Company. Prather has also been vitally generous, chairing or leading nonprofit
funding efforts. Broadway Palm, too, earned the city’s Horizon Award for its
role in economic development. “In honor of celebrating 25 years, my team and I
have put together what I feel is the biggest and best season ever!”
Written by Craig Garrett, Group
Editor-in-Chief for TOTI Media.
At a Glance
Opening
in the 1993 season, Broadway Palm’s first staged productions were Me and My Girl and Babes in Toyland. Broadway Palm’s mainstage opens Sept. 7 and runs
through August 2018. Show prices range from $45 to $70, with group and
children’s pricing. Performances are Tuesday through Sunday evenings (no
Tuesday evening performances May through October) with selected matinees. Along
with Groovin: The 60s and 70s Musical,
Pippin and A Christmas Story, mainstage productions will include Chicago (Dec. 30- Feb. 10, 2018), Mamma Mia (Feb. 15-April 7), My Fair Lady (April 12-May 19), Ring of Fire (May 24-June 23) and Annie (June 28- Aug. 11).
Check broadwaypalm.com for other shows, art exhibits, children’s theater, musical performances and pricing.
Check broadwaypalm.com for other shows, art exhibits, children’s theater, musical performances and pricing.