Porirua City Brass will bring music, theatre and casino-style sparkle to Linden Community Centre in July with Casino Royale, a cabaret fundraiser supporting the band’s first overseas competition trip since 1975.
The show will run from 7.30pm to 9pm from July 9 to 11 at Linden Community Centre in Tawa.
The cabaret combines the band’s brass sound with Wellington theatre performers, singers and dancers in a high-energy production led by creative director Letitia Garrett.
Actor Mike Bryant, recently seen in Once Upon a Time in Homowood and Farrago Bazaar, will play Jack Potts, the owner of a once-thriving casino trying to survive after the pandemic, bad luck and a string of poor decisions.
The production follows Potts and the cast as they look back on the glamour of casino life, with music spanning from the 1920s to the present day.
Garrett said the cast was ready to deliver a lively night for audiences.
“We have such a great cast of awesome performers who know how to put on a show and absolutely love it,” she said.
The cabaret will include drinks, casino-themed activities and interactive elements, with audience members encouraged to dress for the occasion.
Garrett is working alongside Porirua City Brass musical director Nick Garrett, who is also her husband.
The show is part of the band’s fundraising efforts ahead of its trip to the Australian National Brass Band Championships next year. It will be the first time Porirua City Brass has travelled overseas since 1975.
Band chair Edrick Child said the collaboration with local theatre performers would bring something new to the band’s stage work.
“It’s not often that we combine with local theatre,” Child said.
“These actors will bring vibrancy, stage presence and pizzazz, making it unlike any other show we’ve done before.”
The show is recommended for people aged 12 and over, although there is no formal age restriction. Organisers said there was no age-concerning content beyond the general casino theme.
Casino Royale runs from 7.30pm to 9pm, July 9 to 11, at Linden Community Centre, Tawa. Tickets are available through Humanitix at https://events.humanitix.com/poriruabrass-casino-royale/