I think a naked magic show is a brilliant idea; two magicians with no way to hide anything up their sleeves, in their pockets (or anywhere else) amazing us with their skill at sleight of hand. Unfortunately, that’s not what this show is. Don’t worry though, they do get naked eventually but you’re going to have to wait for it.
It’s an unusual sensation to be in a room with an audience who are acting like they’re definitely here for the nudity rather than the magic.
The show feels very much like a ladies’ night and the titular magicians, Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler, are both very talented showmen who know exactly how to work this crowd. They secure their first audience volunteers by lobbing a giant inflatable penis into the crowd and the first trick is based around casting and creating a fictional porno. The jokes are rude and relentless and, each time they bring another volunteer to the stage, they flirt and play with the obvious tension in the room; these people are here to see them take their clothes off and they are definitely playing the roles of objects of desire. They even effectively flirt with a young chap who gives up his phone for a trick and ensure he receives rapturous applause for almost stealing the show with an impromptu ribbon dance.
It’s an unusual sensation to be in a room with an audience who are acting like they’re definitely here for the nudity rather than the magic. There’s plenty of ladies making regular trips back and forth to the bar and occasional shrieks of “take ‘em off!” Wayne and Tyler have discovered a new genre of entertainment; the strip preshow. Even though the magic is entertaining and the comedy is spot on for the late-night crowd, it’s really all about the anticipation of the promised nudity. When the clothes finally come off, the actual full monty is teased for a bit before the finale act where, instead of getting my hoped-for sleight of hand and ‘how did they do that?” moment, we get something more like the finale of a strip show. However, the audience go wild and it’s exactly what they wanted. I just felt it was a bit limp.
