WillPratherKevinNealonSamiraBeckwith
W e love any excuse for dinner and a movie (or a show or a comedy special)—and we love it even more when we can combine the two and be entertained while sipping on a martini with a plate of prime rib in front of us.
Southwest Florida was in for a treat on June 5 when Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre partnered with Hollywood star and comedian Kevin Nealon for a one-night-only stand-up act to benefit Hope Hospice, a local charity with which Nealon has personal ties.
The Saturday Night Live alum, former Weeds star, frequent collaborator with Adam Sandler (most recently on the movie Blended) and current cast member of CBS’s Man with a Plan cracked jokes as a sold-out crowd of 500 finished up their meals. But the reason for the partnership—a unique event, as the venue mainly focuses on musical theater and dramatic productions—was no laughing matter. Nealon has been committed to fundraising for the Fort Myers organization ever since his grandmother was in the palliative care center’s care nearly 20 years ago. And when signing on to do the show, the comic announced he would donate 100 percent of the night’s proceeds to the group.