Out and About: Dancing, dinner tops at Broadway Palm

I confess.

I am a radio news talk-show junkie. I tune in to all the biggies like Rush and Sean and Neil whenever possible, but I am absolutely forlorn if I don't get my daily fix of Mandy Connell each morning on 1270 AM.

Mandy's been taking dance lessons and so when she announced she'd be among the showcase dancers at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Ft. Myers, we packed ourselves in the car and trekked north for a long evening's entertainment and dinner ($49).

My mom, Elsie, and her friend Pat Ferguson talked about everything from aardvark to zebra as they enjoyed the buffet's delights. Mom spent many years teaching foods in home economics and Pat used to have a catering business, so it was interesting to listen to their observations.

The yummy parmesan-encrusted chicken, mustard-coated pollack and sliced brisquet melt-in-your-mouth entrees were set among an assortment of sides such as pasta salad, mixed vegetables and an interesting array of casseroles.

On one side was the salad bar, overflowing with very fresh and nicely presented mix-and-match fruits and vegetables; on the other, a luscious dessert table with all kinds of desserts, including a chocolate cake Elsie labeled "decadent" and Pat's favorite, carrot cake. There were a variety of choices, but not so many as to be confusing, according to Pat.

The rapid-fire production with its carefully choreographed routines featured Fred Astaire dance students, whom we guessed ranged in age from about 15 to 90 plus. They danced everything from the tango to the samba, with their various instructors.

The intriguing costumes were beautiful and professional looking, though Elsie, who taught dancing once upon a time at Arthur Murray's, noted they were somewhat more subtle than on 'Dancing with the Stars.' "It's obvious they are all very advanced students," she said. "They're doing a great job."

Enthusiasm was contagious as everyone laughed and whooped it up, encouraged by the cast to hoot and holler. The crowd went wild when one rather portly, mature female did a backbend in her tango; then, she brought the house down when her surprisingly graceful lift required not one, but three, men to execute.

A few of the younger dancers looked as though they might have a touch of stage fright and so we asked Mandy about that.

"I was so nervous I thought I would throw up," she told the Citizen.

"It's funny, because if I had to give a speech to all those people, that wouldn't have been a problem. Dancing in front of them is another story!"

Mandy was sure she'd never learn her routine in time, and said her dance didn't come together until the week before. As self-assured as she sounds on the radio, we were somewhat surprised not see any lifts in her routine.

"Some of the other dancers hit the floor when they shouldn't have. That's why I stayed firmly on the ground," she explained.

All the teaching professionals starred in the third act and danced the finale to rousing applause. It was a riotously fun outing for most, and an inspiration to others.

"Dancing is much more nerve-racking than being on the radio, but I haven't felt prouder of myself in years. I literally couldn't sleep because I had worked so hard for so long doing something that isn't second nature to me and I felt like I did a really good job. It was great and next year, I'm doing more dances in the showcase!" Mandy said.