WEEKLY UPDATE ON PARLIAMENT HOUSE - dinner and show

THEATRE restaurant returns to Canberra in a big way in the next two weeks.

From this Friday, PHOCH ’91 (Parliament House on Capital Hill) starts at the refurbished Mario’s Restaurant in Civic. Every Friday and Saturday night, patrons can have their funny bones assaulted as the cast take them on an irreverent tourist’s eye view of Parliament House ten years from now (1991).

Written by Canberra writers Mark O’Connor and Neil Fredericks, assisted by Peter Batey, the script will be updated weekly as the rich tapestry of Parliamentary life unfolds.

Doug Williams, Tamara Ross, Chris Rutter, Shani Wood and Will Mulholland make up the cast and pianist Tony Magee will supply the music.

Mario's and PHOCH - The Canberra Times 1981

Ad from the Canberra Times, October 17, 1981

by Tony Magee

In mid 1981, I was still working as the house pianist at Marios’ Restaurant, Petrie Plaza, Canberra City.

They had by then procured a late night supper show called War to War - the hits of the war era, starring singers Jillian Donaldson and Kelly Auty with musical director and pianist 18 year old Andrew Ross.

It was a great show and had audiences clapping and singing along with gusto.

Coralie Wood and Jim Hutchins approached the owners (Ton Van der Zandt and Nick van Zommeron) about putting on a dinner show.

The plans for the “new” Parliament House had just been announced. It was a grand design, to be placed on the top of Capital Hill.

This became the theme of the new dinner show, called PHOCH ’91 (Parliament House on Capital Hill) - set ten years in the future.

Ton and Nick suggested me as pianist and MD for the show, to which Coralie and Jim agreed. 

Coralie later became my first agent, also securring me future work at the Lakeside Hotel and on Ron Murray’s new and exciting cruising restaurant The City of Canberra (on lake Burley Griffin).