Wanted: Two young, buff magicians who can do tricks on stage with no pants on.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Hit comedy pair The Naked Magicians say their nights of stripping off for live audiences are almost over, with plans to train fresh performers to bare all.
One half of the duo, Mike Tyler, told AAP he wants to step back before the audience wonders if he and Christopher Wayne are too old to be wearing their birthday suits.
"We're not quite Channing Tatum, but there's no shortage of overweight older magicians, so we want to make sure we don't fit into that category," he said.
It's not the first time the magicians have promoted final run Australian shows, but Tyler promises that after a six week tour starting in July, he and Wayne will revamp the show over the next 12-18 months.
If they feel like putting their clothes back on, perhaps that's understandable - it's been a long streak since their show premiered at the Brisbane Comedy Festival in 2014.
Since then, the duo have disrobed in more than 1000 performances across at least 300 cities, becoming one of only a handful of Australian acts ever to score a Vegas residency, with a four month stint performing six nights a week at the MGM Grand in 2019.
It was a bizarre experience seeing billboards of himself nude on the Vegas Strip, according to Tyler, and not being allowed to travel further than 161km from the casino city.
"They didn't want us escaping, leaving and getting caught in an airport somewhere trying to get back for shows, so we actually weren't allowed to leave," he said.
Playing in Vegas had always been a dream for Brisbane-based Tyler, who only discovered a love for magic after trying to learn a trick for an unsuccessful first date.
He and Wayne were already full time magicians when they were inspired by the release of Magic Mike, the hit film loosely based on actor Channing Tatum's time as a stripper, and began to wonder if they could conjure a Magic Mike show with actual magic.
"It is a little challenging without sleeves, without pockets, without clothes, but the advantage is perfect misdirection, people are too busy trying to see our magic wands," Tyler said.
Their material has evolved since those first festival shows almost a decade ago and Tyler said the audience are well aware what they are signing up for, with audience participation only for those comfortable climbing on stage.
He points out the show could not be further from a stereotypical magic performance, using a scantily clad female assistant as misdirection.
"The objectification is at our expense, we're the ones getting naked," he said.
The Naked Magicians play dates in Queensland from July 14, NSW from August 5, and WA from August 11.
Australian Associated Press
