On paper, this seemed like a crazy idea, something you wouldn’t tell your friends and family you were attending.
What we got was an hour and a half of laughter and fun. “The Naked Magic Show” at Temple of Performing Arts in Des Moines was a show I won’t soon forget. It was in Des Moines for a limited run, July 15-17, but the audience piled into the theater to see what magic was in store.
Despite the name, the two Australian magicians — Christopher Wayne and Mike Tyler — were mostly clothed the entire time. Their illusions were great, and it was fun to see what they had in store for us.
There was quite a bit of audience participation. They had several volunteers come to the stage, helping with card tricks, disappearing phones and guessing games. One gentleman was a particularly good sport when they asked him to borrow his cellphone, put it in a random envelope and then rolled a dice to see which one would get smashed. Of course, the magicians returned his phone fully repaired, found in a completely unexpected place ... something I won’t disclose here. It’s hard to explain, and I would hate to give away the magic of it all.
My favorite part was when they had the whole audience do a trick together. As you entered the theater, you were handed a sealed red envelope and told not to open it until instructed to do so. Inside were different postcards that related to the show. They gave everyone specific instructions to follow; and if you did, magic would happen. It did indeed work, and I was amazed they got that many people to get the trick to work at the same time.
The sold-out show was packed with fun jokes and language that were definitely for adult ears only. They give you fair warning that if you are offended by such things; this show is not for you. It was fun to let loose and listen to all of the funny puns and innuendos these two Aussies could say.
The “naked” part of the show came into play like a game between the two performers. Whoever was the slowest at escaping the straightjacket had to do a few magic tricks wearing no clothes, but it’s not what you are thinking. A strategically placed top hat prevented the audience from seeing everything. With the help of an audience member, the hat stayed in position while the trick took place.
The final trick had both magicians in their birthday suits but again, hands and other objects helped keep the “illusion” alive.
The show was an intriguing one for me personally because I was taking my boyfriend to his first-ever theater production. He had been to comedy shows before but never in this setting. It was an odd one to start, but he never wavered. I’m sure there were times when he was uncomfortable, but I have to give him props. He went with me and never lost his good humor. He said he enjoyed the show, laughing at most of the jokes and only cringing when a particularly interesting shaped “beach ball” came near him. Next time, we’ll have to go to something a little less ... well I think you get the idea.
Contact Pam Rodgers
at prodgers@newtondailynews.com