Aussie magic sensations the Naked Magicians have toured the world with their smash hit R-rated show, from residencies at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to London’s West End.
But Mike Tyler, one half of the duo alongside fellow prestidigitator and best mate Christopher Wayne, said the pair had never imagined how big the show would get.
“When we designed the show it was never about creating something that would take us around the world,” Tyler said.
“It was just a fun project that we both wanted to do in Brisbane, as two mates having a bit of fun at the Brisbane Comedy Festival, way back in 2014.
“It was surreal; we were on a massive billboard on the side of MGM Grand. I remember getting into a cab once in Vegas and we were on the roof, on the light-up sign. Like, what? This is so weird! It was cool though.
“And we realised early on, playing around the world, that we didn’t have to change much of the show. We were just a couple of Aussie guys having fun on stage, making people laugh and getting them a bit hot under the collar while amazing them with incredible magic.”
Tyler and Wayne met in 2011 at one of Tyler’s gigs, and became good friends soon after.
Both were already professional magicians, and with the release of Magic Mike in 2012 the idea for the show began to take shape.
“When Magic Mike came out I started getting a lot of stripper-related jokes thrown at me at my shows, and I told Chris about it,” Tyler said.
“People were saying things like, your name’s Mike and you do magic, you’re Magic Mike; can you make your clothes disappear? How big is your magic wand?
“And when I told Chris about it he said, what if we did a naughty magic show? And then it kind of escalated, and the rest is history.”
The show comes to Geelong’s Costa Hall on Saturday, March 4 as part of a homecoming tour originally intended for 2020.
The Naked Magicians bring magic, comedy and nudity in equal measure, although Tyler pointed out the pair were both successful clothed illusionists long before they started pulling up their sleeves and yanking off their pants.
“We’re full-time regular magicians first; we’re not just a couple of actors who have learned some magic for this show,” he said.
“When we sat down to design this we tools some of the best parts of our individual routines, combined them together and themed them around naughty topics.
