Pizza Showtime

Pizza Showtime was a family-oriented restaurant and entertainment venue that operated in Perth, Western Australia, from approximately 1980 to 1984. It occupied the former Grand Theatre building at 148 Murray Street, a central Perth site that was later demolished. The concept combined sit-down pizza dining with arcade entertainment and a programmed animatronic stage show, making it an early Australian example of the restaurant-and-family-entertainment format later associated internationally with venues such as Chuck E. Cheese. The restaurant was designed as more than a conventional pizzeria. Customer tables incorporated token-operated video-game consoles, including Space Invaders-style games, while a dedicated stage presented a cast of mechanical characters. The characters were framed around an Australian setting and included Bert Newhound, a dog who acted as compère; Melton Pom, a piano-playing kangaroo accompanied by a joey; singing koalas led by Lottie; Ned Kelly, a wisecracking horse; and Ringo Dingo, a dingo character voiced by Australian actor Jack Thompson. A violin-playing black bear, presented as a visitor from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, was the principal non-Australian character and performed the song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The creative development drew on the history and architecture of the old Grand Theatre. Paul Gregory later described a narrative involving the building’s former projectionist, the theatre’s manually operated roof, the heat of summer, and a ghostly sound of chains. This backstory informed the character and show design. Gregory supplied creative input and was appointed manager of Allied & Leisure Industries’ Pizza Theatre Division in October 1980. He undertook a two-week tour of American audio-entertainment and fast-food venues before the project opened, although the available account does not establish every location visited. John Franke also contributed to the entrance and animatronic design. Franke had prior experience with Disney’s MAPO manufacturing and production organization and had worked on audio-animatronic projects, including the Tiki Birds for the Enchanted Tiki Room. The robots were built in the United States under Gregory’s direction, despite the concept and character design being developed for the Perth venue. The animatronic installation reportedly cost more than $100,000 and was promoted as having an unusually broad range of movements. The project was intended to serve as the starting point for a wider Australian chain of “Pizza Theatres” operated by Allied & Leisure Industries. That expansion did not develop into a sustained national network. Pizza Showtime closed around 1984, after only several years of operation, and its robot characters were dismantled and sent to Sydney. The Grand Theatre building was later converted into an Asian food hall and was ultimately demolished in 1990. The former address is now associated with Grand Theatre Lane and surrounding retail and café premises.

Pizza Showtime emerged in Perth, Western Australia, in 1980 as an experiment in combining restaurant dining with family entertainment. The venue was established in the former Grand Theatre building at 148 Murray Street. Rather than operate as a conventional pizzeria, it used the building as the setting for a themed entertainment experience: families could eat pizza, play token-operated arcade games, and watch a mechanically operated stage performance. The restaurant’s concept belonged to Allied & Leisure Industries and was intended to become the foundation for a broader Australian chain of “Pizza Theatres.” Malcolm Steinberg, the company’s founder, supervised the project. Paul Gregory was appointed manager of the company’s Pizza Theatre Division in October 1980 and became a principal creative figure. Before or during the development process, Gregory toured American audio-entertainment and fast-food venues for two weeks to study comparable formats. The available historical account identifies Chuck E. Cheese as a similar American model, but does not establish that Pizza Showtime was directly licensed from or operated by that chain. Gregory later explained that the creative concept grew from the Grand Theatre itself. During the building’s renovation, workers reportedly found old posters of famous film stars. The theatre had no conventional air-conditioning and used a manually operated sliding roof above the projection area. Gregory developed a theatrical story involving a projectionist’s assistant who became associated with the building’s heat, roof, chains, and ghostly atmosphere. This setting provided the basis for the show’s characters and soundtrack. The cast was deliberately presented as predominantly Australian. Bert Newhound served as compère. Melton Pom was a piano-playing kangaroo with a joey, while a group of singing koalas included Lottie as lead singer. Ned Kelly was a wisecracking horse. Ringo Dingo was a dingo character whose storyline included affection for Lottie; the character’s voice was supplied by Australian actor Jack Thompson. The one conspicuously non-Australian figure was a violin-playing black bear from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, who performed “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” Gregory later recalled that some character names changed from his initial drawings, including a proposed “Hot Dog” character that became Ringo Dingo. John Franke also contributed to the project, including the design of the entrance and elements of the animatronic presentation. His prior work with Disney’s Manufacturing and Production Organization, commonly known as MAPO, connected the project to the developing field of audio-animatronics. Gregory stated that the characters were built in the United States under his direction, although the creative theme and designs were developed for Pizza Showtime. The installation reportedly cost more than $100,000 and was claimed to offer more movements than any Disney character, a promotional comparison rather than an independently documented technical measurement. Inside the restaurant, arcade consoles were built into customer tables and operated with tokens. This integration of food, games, and mechanical entertainment was central to the venue’s identity and helped distinguish it from ordinary pizza restaurants. The concept was ambitious, but the planned chain expansion did not materialize into a long-running national brand. Pizza Showtime closed around 1984 after approximately four years. The robots were dismantled and sent to Sydney. The building later became an Asian food hall before being demolished in 1990. The site is now associated with Grand Theatre Lane and nearby commercial premises, leaving Pizza Showtime primarily as a documented example of an early Australian restaurant-entertainment venture.

• 1990

  Grand Theatre building demolished

  [1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  The former host building was demolished after later use as an Asian food hall.

• 1984

  Venue closes

  [1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  Pizza Showtime ceased operations around 1984, and its animatronic characters were dismantled and sent to Sydney.

• 1980

  Pizza Showtime opens in Perth

  [1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  Allied & Leisure Industries opened the family restaurant and entertainment centre in the former Grand Theatre building at 148 Murray Street.

• 1980

  Paul Gregory joins the Pizza Theatre Division

  [1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  Paul Gregory was appointed manager of Allied & Leisure Industries’ Pizza Theatre Division and contributed to the venue’s creative development.

• 1980

  Animatronic restaurant format introduced

  [1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  The venue combined pizza dining and table-based token arcade games with a themed animatronic stage featuring Australian animal characters.

A family restaurant and entertainment centre combining sit-down pizza service, arcade games, and theatrical animatronics in a distinctive Australian setting.

• Food service · 1980

  Pizza

  Pizza was the core restaurant offering around which the Pizza Showtime concept was organized. The venue presented pizza in a sit-down family dining environment rather than as a standalone takeaway operation. Specific recipes, menu variants, pricing, and suppliers are not documented in the available reference material.

• Arcade entertainment · 1980

  Table-operated arcade games

  Pizza Showtime incorporated Space Invaders-style game consoles directly into customer tables. The machines operated with tokens and made interactive play part of the dining experience. The available sources do not identify the exact game titles, hardware suppliers, or the number of consoles installed.

• Family entertainment · 1980

  Animatronic stage show

  The stage show used a cast of mechanically animated characters, including Bert Newhound, Melton Pom, Lottie and other singing koalas, Ned Kelly, Ringo Dingo, and a violin-playing black bear. The show combined music, dialogue, character comedy, and a narrative connected to the old Grand Theatre. Ringo Dingo was voiced by actor Jack Thompson.

• 1980

  Develop a national Pizza Theatre conceptStrategy

  Background

  Allied & Leisure Industries intended Pizza Showtime to act as a starting point for a chain of similar Australian family restaurants combining pizza with entertainment.

  Action taken

  The company established the Perth venue and created a distinctive animatronic and arcade-based format under the Pizza Theatre concept.

  Aftermath

  The planned wider chain did not become a sustained national operation, and the Perth venue closed around 1984.

  Source

• 1980

  Launch an Australian-themed animatronic showProduct launch

  Background

  The venue sought to differentiate itself from ordinary pizzerias and comparable American restaurant-entertainment formats through a locally themed cast and a show linked to the history of the Grand Theatre.

  Action taken

  Paul Gregory, John Franke, and other contributors developed the entrance, character designs, soundtrack, and mechanical stage presentation.

  Aftermath

  The animatronic installation became the venue’s most distinctive feature, but the characters were dismantled and transferred to Sydney after closure.

  Reported animatronic installation cost. More than AUD 100,000 (Around the 1980 opening period)

  Source

• 1990

  Former Grand Theatre site is demolished[1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The former Grand Theatre building, which had housed Pizza Showtime, was subsequently demolished.

• 1984

  Pizza Showtime closes after a short operating period[1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The Perth venue closed around 1984, ending the first known Pizza Theatre project and the proposed basis for a wider Australian chain.

• 1984

  Animatronic characters are dismantled and sent to Sydney[1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Following the venue’s closure, its animatronic characters were dismantled and transferred to Sydney.

• 1980

  Pizza Showtime opens in Perth[1]Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Allied & Leisure Industries launched Pizza Showtime in the former Grand Theatre building on Murray Street, introducing a pizza restaurant with table-based arcade games and an animatronic stage show.

1. 1Pizza Showtimeen.wikipedia.org