The Naked Magicians are an Australian duo who have come up with a way of not just being another magic show. Yes, they do it naked. Or so the write up of the show says.
The show starts with two fully dressed magicians and we find out that if we are going to see them bare all, we must first earn the privilege. Hen Party games are played with the audience. Bouncing a giant inflatable penis around the auditorium and finding out the ‘porn star name’ of who ever it lands on when the music stops. There are magic tricks of course but nothing groundbreaking or overly impressive which makes you understand why they needed a gimmick for the show in the first place.
Whilst the audience were predominantly female, there was a decent helping of male audience members and so I felt it a little sexist when they announced they wanted a lady to go up on stage and join them for a trick. There was no need for it to be a female for the trick and so it felt a little sexist in today’s society to exclude men. Perhaps The Naked Magicians are used to doing Hen Parties where the audiences are all female but it would have been nice to adapt the act to fit the wider audience it is played to.
The Naked Magicians is a fun night out for a group on a Friday night after a few drinks. There isn’t as much nudity as I was expecting and the magic was a little unexciting to anyone who has ever seen a magic show before. After the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the show will open in London’s Trafalgar Studios from 31 August until 24 September 2016. I’m sure it will have a successful run but it left me a little underwhelmed.
Reviewed by West End Wilma
THE NAKED MAGICIANS plays at Pleasance Courtyard until 29 August 2016
