When looking for audience participation, The Naked Magicians make their intentions clear.
“We need people who are up for pretty much anything,” said Mike Tyler, who was wearing only underwear. He then ventured into a giddy, screaming sea of (mostly) women to choose two volunteers.
Australian duo Tyler and Christopher Wayne Saturday evening brought lascivious illusions and bawdy jokes to the State Theater, making plenty of people blush in the process. If other magic shows are “Twilight,” the Naked Magicians call their show “True Blood.”
“For this trick, you have to have the magic in you,” Wayne, who was nearly nude and nearly hairless, said at one point as he stood behind a participant.
But in reality, the Naked Magicians spend most of the show simply “teasing” the crowd.
For example, the pair took to the stage in bathrobes, appearing to be undressed under them, but removed the robes to reveal full evening attire. No clothes would come off for another 45 minutes.
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The tricks themselves lack much wow factor, involving mind-reading, escapes, and card and rope tricks that are well-executed but not especially creative beyond the added layer of ribaldry. (My guest pointed out that the built-in distraction of nudity should have allowed for more impressive illusions.)
With bared skin and magic both coming in half-measures, the magicians rely on a constant flow of double entendre to carry the performance. It’s a show where “come on stage” has a new meaning, and “spread ’em” might not refer to the deck of cards.
Tyler and Wayne are at their best when testing the patience of their audience helpers, whether prying into their cellphones or grinding and twerking against them.
The Naked Magicians
In one particularly delightful bit, a middle-aged woman chose a card bearing the name of an “everyday activity,” and was then blindfolded. The magicians held up to the crowd their prediction for the activity they believe she chose –“sex” — then proceeded to ask their volunteer a series of questions.
“Where do you do this?”
“At the table,” she responds.
“How often do you do this?”
“Two or three times a day.”
“Who did you last do this with?”
“My cousins.”
The woman, it turns out, had actually chosen the card reading “eat.”
The crowd’s gender disparity was on full display even before an informal audience poll proved that most were there for a girl’s night out. Just before the show started, I was the last person preventing a venue staffer from turning the men’s room into a second ladies’ room to accommodate a huge line of women that snaked into the venue the lobby. As I exited, one waiting woman remarked,”We were about to go in while you were still in there.”
Still, the audience wasn’t Y-chromosome-free. Introducing the show, State Theatre President Shelley Brown saluted any men who were accompanying wives and girlfriends.
“I’m sure the people you’re with will make it worth your while,” she said.
But you didn’t have to be in the dominant demographic to enjoy yourself. The Naked Magicians turn out to be more than the sum of their parts, with middling magic, winking comedy and playful lechery combining for a fun night out. Their motto is, “Good magicians don’t need sleeves, and great magicians don’t need pants.” Really, the takeaway is that a magician without pants doesn’t have to be all that great.
Andrew Doerfler may be reached at adoerfler@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @adoerfler or on Facebook.
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