Naked and Magical: The Naked Magic Show at Lincoln Theatre
Two Aussies offer up a magic show that’s as hilariously rude as it is inevitably nude
“We promise three things,” says Mike Tyler. “We promise that it will be one of the most incredible magic shows you’ve ever seen. We promise we’ll be one of the funniest comedy shows you’ll ever see. And we promise full frontal illusions.”
He’s not kidding about that last part. The 31-year-old is half of the Australian conjuring duo who perform The Naked Magic Show, which “strips away all the magic stereotypes — the top hats, the capes, the magic wands” allowing for “the funniest, cheekiest and naughtiest magic show ever.”
Don’t expect the pair to be fully naked throughout, though. It’s a magic show with a stripper’s sensibility, a slow, tantalizing build to the full, climactic reveal. Still, notes Tyler, who sports a shock of dark hair and a swimmer’s musculature, there will be plenty to ogle at over the course of the evening.
Both Tyler and his partner-in-prestidigitation, Christopher Wayne, also 31, were performing close-up gigs in their native country when Simon Painter, a co-producer of the Broadway hit The Illusionists, urged them to develop a magic show in the buff. Tyler and Wayne based the general concept on the popular stripper flick, Magic Mike. They have since toured the show to 35 cities Down Under and “sold out every one.” A brief, five-city tour of America last fall — “a test,” Tyler calls it — also sold out. “It’s a very unique concept, a high energy party atmosphere,” says Tyler. “It’s like no magic show you have ever seen before. It’s an orgy of magic, comedy and nudity.”
The magic is legit — and while some of the tricks may seem familiar, most have an adult twist. “We don’t do the grand illusions,” says Tyler. “It’s more comedy magic with all the tricks aimed around those topics that you talk about with friends behind closed doors after a couple of wines.” Tyler is careful not to reveal too much, but hints that the traditional magician’s assistant may be of the blow-up variety.
For all the fun, Tyler takes his magic seriously.
“As a kid, I was always interested in superheroes like Ninja Turtles and Superman — they had abilities that nobody else had,” he says. “Magic is the closest thing to having a special ability. That’s what really attracted me to magic. To do something that no one else can do.”
The Naked Magic Show is Thursday, April 21, at 8 p.m. at the Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric, 140 West Mount Royal Ave. in Baltimore. Tickets are $20 to $75. Call 410-547-SEAT or visit lyricoperahouse.com.
It makes a stop in D.C. on Sunday, April 24, at The Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 to $75. VIP Meet & Greet tickets also available. (Yes, they’re naked when you meet them and yes, they’ll take a photo with you.) Call 877-987-6487 or visit thelincolndc.com.
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