The tagline of The Naked Magicians tells you everything you need to know. This cheeky R-rated magic show, strips away the top hats and capes, promising full frontal illusions.
The duo of Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler believe that “good magicians don't need sleeves. Great magicians don't need pants” and Christopher promises a finale that will be both incredibly funny and incredibly naked.
Describe your show in five words?
"Magic Mike" with real magic.
Part that gets the most screaming is?
The finale is a screamer for everyone. Our original finale was great and got a big reaction, and then we dared to push the envelope a little further with a much bigger and bolder ending. We have done it a few times now and every single time it gets reactions unlike anything I have seen in a show before. I don’t want to give it away, but it's very messy, very funny, very magical and incredibly naked.
What do you think about nakedness?
Naked is a funny thing. For me and Mike, we are both very comfortable with it. It took some getting used to though. You would think that being naked in front of 500 people would be scary, but when you are standing there in your birthday suit and everybody is clapping and cheering, that’s the most freeing, adrenaline-filled, and accepting feeling you can imagine.
The human body however is seriously the sexiest and the grossest thing all at the same time. I think for us, the hardest thing is finding a way to be naked on stage while maintaining an air of sex appeal.
How does the audience react to the nakedness?
The audience react to the nakedness brilliantly. For me, the highlight of the show is seeing how everyone takes it. We wrote the show very intentionally, and we don't get our gear off straight away. We like to think of the 'naked' part as sex, and the build-up to it as foreplay, so by the time we actually have our wands out, everybody is truly ready and waiting.
Most embarrassing moment on stage?
The most awkward moment happened in Cairns AFTER a show. We like to do photos with everyone afterwards (which is always a heap of fun), and we always do it naked with our top hats covering our ‘bits’. Well an older woman had had a few too many drinks, and as her photo was being taken with the two of us, she stuck a sneaky finger in me from behind. It was pretty awkward, but thankfully the photographer took a photo at the precise moment it happened, so we now have the funniest photo of me in pure shock standing next to a truly crazy woman.
Do you work out more before a show tour?
We do! Because we are both naked (on stage, as well as all the press we do on TV) we make sure that we maintain healthy lifestyles no matter if we are touring or not. We were both into fitness prior to this show, but 500 people paying to see you naked is all the motivation you need to stay on top of it. Might I add that we both go to the gym six times a week and have never taken a gym selfie or used a single hashtag and that's our most impressive achievement yet.
Fav magic trick?
David Copperfield flying is the best magic routine ever. He was and is the only magician to not just levitate, but to actually fly the same way we do in our dreams. That whole routine is a piece of art.
What does magic mean to you?
I think for both of us, magic is never about tricking people or fooling people, that should be the least of it. Magic for me is about taking people on some kind of emotional journey. In the context of this show, those emotions are joy and laughter and a celebration of naughtiness. The top hats, the wands, the capes and all of that wankery are in the past.
If someone where to play you in a movie, who would it be and why?
I should start by pointing out that every single day of my life somebody asks me if I am Macklemore. If it was a film though I think a cleaned-up version of Russell Brand would be the best guy to play me. Simply because he is funny, breaks out in song, and likes to party as much as he likes to nap (I choose to not address the sex addiction).
The Naked Magicians tour Queensland this month.
