Cabaret dinner theatre Lux Noir reopens at spacious new venue on Halloween

After building a cult following for their extraordinary blend of comedy and cabaret, Lux Noir has reopened at a new location, just in time for Halloween. See where it is.

Cabaret dinner theatre Lux Noir has reopened at a spacious new venue at 799 Flinders St, just in time for Halloween. Pictures: Supplied.

To satisfy North Queensland’s insatiable appetite for “comedy, cabaret, burlesque, food, and fun”, popular Townsville business Lux Noir is celebrating Halloween in style with its official reopening at a spacious new venue.

Realising the creative vision of husband and wife team Stuart and Debbie Read, Lux Noir quickly gained a cult following for their “dinner and show” experience every Friday and Saturday night, after opening at 232-234 Flinders St in December 2023.

Their present run performing The Rocky Shop of Horrors tickles funny bones, inspires awe with aerial acrobatics, triggers raucous singalongs, while filling bellies with signature cocktails, hearty English meals and desserts, in an immersive atmosphere.

Their former venue’s cramped layout and inability to meet strong demand for seats prompted the couple begin searching for a larger location to take Lux Noir to the next level.

“We would get multiple phone calls every Friday and Saturday to try and get in to shows on the night, and we just could not physically fit them in,” Mr Read said.

Lux Noir co-owner Stuart Read as Franky and Nathan Vanstralin as Riffraff, take the stage at their new location 799 Flinders St. Picture: Supplied.

“Being Townsville and having a lot of tourists coming through a lot of the time, they were only here for that weekend, so we didn’t just lose them on that night, we lost their business completely.

“So we’ve moved further up Flinders Street to 799, the old Greek community centre, and have more than doubled our capacity per night, so we can hold up to 150 people.”

Lux Noir co-owner Debbie Read as Janet/ Witch Part hits the stage at their new location 799 Flinders St. Picture: Supplied.

Mrs Read couldn’t wait to show off the new venue to the community after working 17 hour days for the past month behind the scenes.

“The sound in here is amazing. There’s much more room for people, so all of our tables are spaced a minimum of two meters apart … so we can fit double the capacity with more room for everybody, so it doesn’t feel like you’re squished in,” Mrs Read said.

Lux Noir's main entrance at their location at 799 Flinders St. Picture: Supplied.

Plenty more space is available in Lux Noir's new venue at 799 Flinders St, featuring Bradley Watt as Brad, Debbie Read as Janet, and Stuart Read as Franky. Picture: Supplied.

“Everybody’s very excited about it … this venue feels more like us.

“The Rocky Horror Shop of Horrors will be running it up until and including New Year’s Eve, with the NYE show (being) an extended show, with a bit of a sneak preview of the next show (which begins) in January.”

Lux Noir has an exciting event planned for New Year’s Eve at their new location. Picture: Supplied.

Townsville resident Pam Andrew poses for a picture with the Lux Noir cast outside their former-venue at 232-234 Flinders St. Picture: Leighton Smith.

While the performance has a risqué element to it, Mrs Read said it wasn’t vulgar in anyway, with no full frontal nudity, with the show only restricted to ages 18 plus for liquor licensing purposes.

Lux Noir’s bookings are filling up quickly for the Christmas party season so interested locals should get in quick to secure their spots.

For more information, visit: www.luxnoir.com.au.

Callysta hits the high notes as Magenta at Lux Noir. Picture: Supplied.

Lux Noir showcases a range of entertainment including aerialist performances. Picture: Supplied.

Lux Noir co-owner Debbie Read gets down into the audience in their previously cramped location at 232-234 Flinders St. Picture: Supplied.

Originally published as Cabaret dinner theatre Lux Noir reopens at spacious new venue on Halloween