Aussie duo reveal naked truth in magic show
Aussie duo reveal the naked truth during stripped-down magic show
As far as the Australian magic show The Naked Magicians goes, there is truth in advertising.
Mike Tyler and Christopher Wayne are magicians, and they do get naked, as in absolutely no sleeves, pockets or pants to help hide those cards, flowers and rabbits.
The guys in Thunder From Down Under, Australia’s answer to Chippendales, finish up in G-strings, but not these Aussie magic men. They bare it all.
But don’t expect Mike and Chris to run on stage naked for their show at the Jubilee Auditorium on April 20.
“We treat each of our shows like a first date. We don’t start out naked. We work our way into the nudity slowly,” said Tyler, who sports the swimmer’s body.
Wayne has more of a pumping iron kind of body.
Tyler explains he was a competitive swimmer and has maintained his sleek frame. Wayne, on the other hand, had to lose almost 30 kilograms when the guys committed to performing naked.
“The show doesn’t work unless we give the audience something pleasing to look at and that requires a major exercise routine each day,” Tyler said. “That’s not as easy as it sounds, because our touring schedule of one-night stands can get gruelling.”
Tyler insists neither he nor Wayne had to be strong-armed into do a naked magic show, but now they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I’m not happy when I have to wear pants. It reminds me of my banking days.”
When they met, Tyler and Wayne each were presenting successful, fully-clothed magic shows. Tyler performed corporate magic shows and at huge fundraisers. Wayne be- gan performing at parties and ended up with a popular kids’ show.
“Chris came to one of my corporate shows as a guest. I knew who he was. We all did. He came up to me after the performance to ask how I did one of my tricks. We became really good friends,” said Tyler.
“We thought about doing a show together, but we wanted it to be really different. We tossed around ideas of how to take magic in a direction it wouldn’t naturally go, and that’s when we hit upon the idea of naked magicians. We are literally stripping away the magic stereotypes.”
When they committed to becoming naked magicians they were surprised to learn they were the first in the world.
“Burlesque shows use magicians between acts, but the magicians keep their clothes on.”
Wayne adds that it was never going to be enough for them to wow audiences with their magic skills and buff bodies.
“We vowed that our show had to be really funny and a lot of that humour had to come from the spontaneity Mike and I have in real life,” he says. “We’re both naturally funny guys, and when we get together, we get funnier because we bounce off each other.”
Wayne insists there’s never competition for the laughs.
"It’s like meeting us at a party. “Some nights, Mike is the host and takes over. Other nights, I’m the host.”
Wayne was a head comedy writer for a radio show for years, so he’s crafted some of the comic bits that are routine.
The Naked Magicians is now in its third year and the shows just keeps getting more popular.
“Last year we visited 55 cities around the world, from Hong Kong, Australia and the United Kingdom, to the U.S. and Canada, and we did an extended stint in London’s West End.”
According to Wayne, what he and Tyler have discovered is that their brand of naughty humour is universal.
“Young or old, straight or gay, male or female, Australians or Canadians, everyone has a naughty side. Our show caters to that naughtiness.”
Tickets for the Calgary show are available at ticketmaster.ca and they start at $39.50
Check out nakedmagicians.com for more information and videos of the show that will be performed at the Jubilee Auditorium.
I’m not happy when I have to wear pants. It reminds me of my banking days.