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Commandants Dinner & Show: Exploring Norfolk's Colourful History with Food and Entertainment
4.0
40 Ratings
Paradise Hotel & Resort
Experience Norfolk’s vibrant history through a captivating Commandant’s Dinner & Show. Indulge in a delectable 3-course meal while being entertained with engaging performances.
Experience Norfolk’s vibrant history through a captivating Commandant’s Dinner & Show. Indulge in a delectable 3-course meal while being entertained with engaging performances.
Duration:
3 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
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Norfolk Island - This factual yet fun dinner theatre is a great way to learn about Norfolk’s history. The cast of actors will take you on an entertaining journey back in time. Listen to the Commandants’ stories about the notorious Convict Settlements on Norfolk Island and how the convicts were treated by sadists and reformers alike.
Listen to a…
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Norfolk Island - This factual yet fun dinner theatre is a great way to learn about Norfolk’s history. The cast of actors will take you on an entertaining journey back in time. Listen to the Commandants’ stories about the notorious Convict Settlements on Norfolk Island and how the convicts were treated by sadists and reformers alike.
Listen to a chilling recall of one of the infamous rebellions. Marvel at how the Commandants and their families adapted to life in a Norfolk Island penal colony, recreating a little piece of England in the Pacific. Explore their great challenges, impressive successes and shameful secrets.
Our venue has created a special three-course dinner menu of traditional English fare to compliment the theatrical setting. Hearty, wholesome, British tucker - fortunately prepared by free men in a modern kitchen not a poor convict over a wood stove!
The Commandants’ Dinner is a night of great entertainment, delectable food and loads of fun. Make it a “must” for your itinerary!!
What's Included
- Dinner
- Tour escort/host
- Live entertainment
- Local taxes
- Dinner
- Tour escort/host
- Live entertainment
- Local taxes
What's Not Included
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
- Alcoholic drinks (available to purchase)
- Gratuities
Additional Information
This engaging and enjoyable dinner theatre offers a fantastic opportunity to delve into Norfolk’s history. The talented cast will guide attendees on a captivating journey through time. Guests will be fascinated by the Commandants’ tales of the Convict Settlements on Norfolk Island. Experience a gripping recount of one of the notorious rebellions. Be…
This engaging and enjoyable dinner theatre offers a fantastic opportunity to delve into Norfolk’s history. The talented cast will guide attendees on a captivating journey through time. Guests will be fascinated by the Commandants’ tales of the Convict Settlements on Norfolk Island. Experience a gripping recount of one of the notorious rebellions. Be amazed at how the Commandants and their families adjusted to life in a Norfolk Island penal colony, recreating a slice of England in the Pacific. Discover their significant challenges, remarkable achievements, and hidden secrets.
The venue has crafted a special three-course dinner menu featuring traditional English cuisine to enhance the theatrical experience. Enjoy hearty, wholesome British dishes suitable for a Commandant and his esteemed wife – all expertly prepared by free individuals in a modern kitchen, rather than by unfortunate convicts over a wood stove!
The Commandants’ Dinner & Show promises an evening of outstanding entertainment, delicious food, and plenty of humor – not for the faint-hearted!
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Guests must visit the Baunti Tours office in Burnt Pine prior to the tour to exchange their voucher for a Baunti ticket and get final tour details.
Location
Paradise Hotel & Resort
Queen Elizabeth Avenue
27 Queen Elizabeth Avenue
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.0
(40 Ratings)
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Flashadele
Apr 2, 2025
Great show to learn about some of the history of Norfolk Island - Tonight we attended the Commandants' dinner and show. 3 actors playing former commandants at different times in the history of the island, recounting their times in charge of convicts, their trials and tribulations, facing revolts, dishing out punishments and generally talking about life on Norfolk Island in the early years. Very informative, educational and lots of puns, jokes and laughs. All whilst enjoying a very nice 3-course dinner. A must when selecting a tour at Norfolk Island.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ulrike
Jan 29, 2025
3 best tours we did with Baunti - When our group arrived on Norfolk Island we were surprised how many tours and restaurants we could have the choice of.
Thanks to Helen at Baunti Tours we chose the right ones
On Wednesday : Commandants dinner and show which had us in stitches and the actors ate at our tables with lots of banter and funny lines. 3 course meal was excellent too.
Thursday : we did Baunti Fish Fry outside but under cover with amazing views. The young Pitcairn dancers were graceful and we bought their video. The taste of the fish was the best we ever had! Plus we had seconds and lovely dessert.
Friday :we booked The Progressive dinner when we visited 3 homes for entree, main and dessert. We heard lots of stories about past history and how living on Norfolk is.
The night was entertaining and the meals excellent.
Great we had Debbie the bus driver who shared some info too.
After lots of laughs, a full belly it was nice to be driven back to our accommodation.
Thanks Baunti.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wendyf241
Oct 24, 2024
Awesome experience - What an awesome night. History delivered through a fun presentation accompanied by a delicious dinner. Great interaction between the actors and the guests.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Wendy_k
Aug 22, 2024
Highly Recommended show and dinner. - Excellent show. Very informative in a light hearted and funny performance. The interactive dinner with the actors was a nice addition.
Review provided by Viator
Connector724761
May 2, 2024
Norfolk Island history presented with a touch of humor and a good dinner. - A wonderful evening. The two commandants and Miss Clair Voiant kept us entertained as they told us about their past in the 1800's and threw in a few jokes to add to the already happy evening. Soup, roast pork & vegies with pasta & rice and finished with sticky date pudding & ice-cream was a most enjoyable dinner. The venue was pleasant with adequate room for the actors to move around the tables and sit with the audience. If you love Norfolk Island history, a few smutty jokes and a good meal then it's a must. I enjoyed the evening.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
U2430kmvickik
Apr 24, 2025
Fun night. - Such a fun night and the meal was perfect. Highly recommend. We all had lots of laughs but learnt some historical facts which was really interesting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
198ruthh
Nov 22, 2024
Fun night - A bit of history relating to the times of the penal colony, with a tasty dinner & a lot of jokes, some better than others. Fun night.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ginnienb
Jan 12, 2025
Cancelled - This got a poor rating as the dinner was cancelled on me. I was bit surprised but was told someone was unwell. Totally understand that but then other people who were with large tour group shared they went & wasn’t cancelled on them. Not sure what happened but tour company did sort a processed refund.
However, have enjoyed other tours with company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Passport790536
Dec 19, 2023
Certainly not the best. - My wife and I booked this on our first day on Norfolk Island as a 'must do' After our experience I would rate it as a 'must not do'. We expected more for the price of $95 each. In summary the 'show' was mostly a string of crude innuendos. The meal was disappointing. The main course was supposed to be a roast dinner but fell short of that, being fatty beef slices accompanied by what I assumed were canned mixed vegetables; all served up on cold plates.
There were supposed to be three commandant actors - we only had two, with some of the third actor's dialogue being read from a script. I am an ex Navy person so I am used to bawdy language, but I must confess that at times I was embarrassed to be there.
This was not one of the tours/events of our trip to NI that we wish to remember.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Z2784ofdavidb
Jan 10, 2024
Show? What show? AVOID! - Without doubt the worst thing we have ever sat through. Three performers - you'd never call them actors - staggering through a meandering list of historical trivia, "umms" and "aahs" everywhere because they can't remember the lines, sprinkled with overworked non-jokes along the lines of "the Commandant's wife never liked an early morning cock". All three laugh at their own jokes and think they're hilarious. They're not. Done in a bland hotel function hall with no sound, no lighting, no set, cheap badly-fitted costumes and zero atmosphere. Also features a narrator who for some reason ISN'T in costume like the others, and wanders around in a caftan with a book prompting them as they all forget what they're doing. It looks exactly like what it is - a very tired tourist gimmick for a captive audience screwed out of $100 in advance, who then have to buy overpriced cheap wine from the venue. And when you think it can't possibly get any worse, the food - the soup could have been anything, meat tough as an old boot, canned gravy and tinned veggies. We escaped before dessert. This embarrassment desperately needs a writer, a real script, genuine humour, a director with imagination, some (any) attempt at production values and actors who actually know how to deliver lines rather than C-grade amateurs. I've seen pre-school shows with more cred than this garbage. Excruciatingly bad - AVOID.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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