Banquet Of Secrets
Brisbane Powerhouse
Jazz legend, Paul Grabowsky, has teamed up with his old TV pal, Steve Vizard, to create the fresh new musical, Banquet of Secrets, at Brisbane Powerhouse from 7 - 9 April. Vizard wrote the book, lyrics and original story while Grabowsky composed the music.
For those old enough to remember, Vizard hosted his own Tonight show for a few years - on which Grabowsky was his Musical Director - and has produced, written and sometimes starred in several successful shows such as Fast Forward, Full Frontal and Simone de Beauvoir's Babies. But it was a highly personal experience that led to Banquet of Secrets.
Says Vizard, "The show was inspired by an amazing lunch my wife and I had years ago with a couple. During the course of a long and memorable meal we revealed secrets and had a marvellous time, only to discover the next morning that one of our friends passed away during the night."
Understandably, a lot of soul searching followed, with Vizard saying that the show pays homage to the friend who died and explores universal themes such as "friendship, love, loss, lust, betrayal, joy and the well-established link between good food and great conversation".
The story sees four old friends getting together to share a meal and secrets in the same way they've done for 20 years, with Victorian Opera stars taking on the roles. There's Antoinette Halloran, Kanen Breen, Dimity Shepherd and David Rogers-Smith - all of whom performed in Victorian Opera's 2015 hit, Sweeney Todd. Paul Grabowsky himself will be on keyboard and Roger Hodgman is the Director.
Thurs 7 - Sat 9 April; Thurs & Fri 7.30pm; Sat 1pm & 7.30pm
By Vicki Englund
Banquet of Secrets
Powerhouse Theatre
Brisbane Powerhouse
119 Lamington St
New Farm