Presented by Samuel Klingner Entertainment Enterprises
Reviewed 12 September 2014
As The Naked Magicians’ tag line goes “good magicians don’t wear sleeves, great magicians don’t wear pants” and they attempt to make their point by performing without either.
The Naked Magicians is essentially a ninety-minute strip tease with a few tricks and lots of filthy cheek thrown in to control the speed of the show.
The magicians, Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler, are talented hosts and comedic performers. They convey all the charm and cheese of game show hosts but with extra cheek and dirty words piled into their performance. Their skills in wooing a crowd are clearly felt throughout the show, particularly heard with all the squeals. Their control and timing with audience participants is well balanced and effective at achieving comedic results without causing excess embarrassment to the participants.
The stage of Her Majesty’s Theatre is set with a simple lay out of props including a covered table with a top hat on it, a hanging wooden box and a chair with an inflatable sex doll named Ursula on it. The minimal use of bulky props leaves a large stage area, which the magicians move fluidity across.
As magicians there isn’t a large array of spectacle. Many tricks and a lot the equipment used, not including the inflatable sex toys, seem standard and well-practised amongst magicians which left the individual tricks underwhelming as standalone magical acts. The talent that brings the tricks to life is the delivery of the comedy, the nudity edge and the charm of the two magicians.
The use of upbeat music throughout the performance brings the additional movement and high energy expected of a Friday night performance. The movement of the show is nicely timed and smooth flowing. The acceptance and attention of non-female members of the audience was an additional highlight especially considering the content. Christopher and Wayne presented as genuinely inclusive of all audience members.
The overall show is an adults-only production with high levels of audience participation. It works well as a group or date night out for those who don’t mind being confronted by nudity or lots of sexual content.
Reviewed by Alex Dunkin
Twitter: @AlexDunkin
Venue: Her Majesty’s Theatre, Grote Street Adelaide
Season: 12-13 September 2014
Duration: 90mins
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