EDINBURGH 2016 - Review: THE NAKED MAGICIANS, Pleasance Courtyard, 10 August

I doubt anyone will be surprised to learn that it was a bit of a rowdy crowd in for The Naked Magicians. Curiosity gave way to disappointment as the two Aussie men appeared onstage fully clothed. They started off by telling everyone that they don't just get naked at the beginning of the show - they want to make an audience work for it.

Having an intense fear of audience participation (increasingly so at a show titled The Naked Magicians) I positioned myself at the back of the large auditorium. Unfortunately, their participants are selected by throwing an inflatable penis into the audience and having everyone throw it around until the music stops, so no-one is safe.

Each trick has an elaborate set-up and is surprisingly impressive. There is a lot of innuendo throughout the show and many of the tricks are quite cheeky. Halfway through the performance the magicians get shirtless. Then there is a contest between the two to see who has to get naked first. Following his loss, one of them performs his next trick completely naked while an audience member holds a top hat over his crotch.

For the finale, true to their word, both men get full-frontal naked. It is for the the purpose of the final trick, which is something I will never be able to unsee, but it is strangely impressive. The Naked Magicians is not for the fainthearted and it is not highbrow theatre by any means, but it's a fun night out with some pretty good magic.

The Naked Magicians runs at the Pleasance Courtyard until 29 August.

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