It’s going to be a magical Christmas for the lives of many Phuket residents on the island once the European style dinner show at ‘Palazzo Theatre and Restaurant’ and ‘Joe Conrad’s Asia’s Premier Magic Show’ open by the end of the year.

But where to go and what is the difference between the two? Well according to Vladislav Bond - a circus performer in her younger years - the Russian-born director of Palazzo
Phuket, the theatre is something very different for the island, “This is the first
dinner show of its ilk in South East Asia, and we are excited about bringing it here.”

The dinner show – open at the end of the month - promises to be an all singing, dancing and dining experience, or as Vladislav so wonderfully puts it, “Art fusion.”

During the 3.5 hour dinner show, guests will enjoy a live show that is delicately scripted to co-incide with a 5 star, 15 course meal. “It’s all about the different relationships in the kitchen; we have sixteen performers from all over the world and
include trapeze and mime artists.”

The style of the actors’ dress resemble costumes from a yesteryear Victorian theatre, but the languages (English, German, Russian and Japanese) it will be performed in, resemble and are targeted towards a very modern-day ensemble of Phuket travellers.

Vladislav explains why the company decided to open in Phuket, “It has become an incredibly popular destination, and is a more obvious choice than Pattaya because of the sheer numbers of families who come here.”

Families that the Palazzo is expecting will probably be relatively wealthy and also willing to travel to Kathu, near the Cable Ski Park. Prices include 3,200 baht for adults and 1,800 baht for kids.

Daily shows start at 7.30 – 11.30pm. Joe Conrad’s Asia’s Premier Magic Show is in the final stages of design with construction expected to be completed early December, he told the Post that he wasn’t worried about Palazzo, “We’re targeting a whole different market, I’ve been doing this for thirty years, and Joe Conrad’s Asia’s Premier Magic Show is primarily targeted towards the kids,” said Joe.

The 700-seat venue will be on the 3rd floor of Jungceylon positioned between the recently-opened Banana IT and cinema.

The 1 hour 15 minute show will be shown twice a night at 6.30pm and 8.30pm, with a possibility of an introduced matinee if all goes according to plan.

Tickets are priced at 900 baht for adults and 600 baht for children, with a special discounted rate, yet to be decided, for Thai and expat residents.

The price however doesn’t include a gourmet meal, but snacks and beverages will be on offer as well as magic kits and merchandise for the aspiring Joe’s.

“We’re selling the whole personality of Joe Conrad’s Asia’s Premier Magic Show, it will be a fun Vegas-style event. It’s going to be great,” enthused Joe.

So whichever you decide, Christmas 2010 is sure to be the most magical for Phuket yet! If you can’t wait for a little bit of entertainment during your dinner, you could of course pop down to Joe Louis theatre restaurant, which is now open in Jungceylon.