Review: Channing Tatum's MAGIC MIKE LIVE Reinvents The Male Strip Show For A Modern Era Of Empowered Women Wanting More.

Friday 8th January 2020, 7pm, The Arcadia, Entertainment Quarter Moore Park

Channing Tatum (Creator, Co-Writer, and Co-Director) taps into the wishes and desires of real women to deliver an empowering evening of entertainment with MAGIC MIKE LIVE. Drawing on the success of the 2012 movie MAGIC MIKE and its 2015 sequel MAGIC MIKE XXL, MAGIC MIKE LIVE finally arrives in Sydney to share dancing, daring acrobatics and deliciously sculpted bodies with an audience ready for excitement.

As Tatum explains in his letter to the audience, found in the program, male strip shows have traditionally been stuck in the past where all that women were offered were crass caricatures that looked like leftovers from a Village People tribute act. With MAGIC MIKE LIVE, Tatum and his co-creators Reid Carolin (who also wrote the movies), Alison Faulk (Co-director and Choreographer), Teresa Espinosa (Associate Director and Choreographer) and Luke Broadlick (Associate director and Choreographer) have created a show where they seek to present what real women look for in a man, thereby shifting and acknowledging the power a woman should have in the relationship she has with her sexuality. While the evening initially starts as an echo of past days with a sleazy, gold chain adorned MC (Rik Brown) whipping the crowd into a frenzy, it thankfully makes way for a classier expression commanded by MC Amy Ingram as she explains what she and most real women want in their ideal man. Ingram is a wonderfully bold and powerful expression of an 'everywoman' as she lets the ladies of the audience know that it is ok to have the courage to ask for what they look for in a man. The "Magic Mike" (presented by Blake Varga on the night reviewed) of the title is the evolution of Ingram's, and therefore by extension, the female audiences', perfect man as he is educated and molded from the seemingly ordinary to the extraordinary with lessons from the slew of men which each hold some of the traits desired in the perfect package which generally has much less to do with physical attributes and more to do with behaviors, beliefs and attitudes although each does possess a wealth of visual perfection. This training comes in the form of dance, acrobatics, music, and a degree of Covid-19 safe interaction.

Whilst earlier incarnations of MAGIC MIKE LIVE have been presented in bricks and mortar venues in Las Vegas, London and Berlin, the Australian tour sees the first use of the new tailor made Speigeltent THE ARCADIA. THE ARCADIA helps elevate the immersive experience of MAGIC MIKE LIVE from the moment the audience enters the foyer which houses ample indoor space and access to two terraces where guests can enjoy a preshow beverage before entering the main theatre hall. THE ARCADIA takes the speigeltent experience and elevates it, both physically and metaphorically, with multi-level seating and a variety of seating arrangements, from broad chesterfields for those closest to the stage, cabaret tables and padded benches complete with an assortment of throw cushions surrounding the outer walkway and high tables and stools for the upper balcony. The performers reach out to all corners of the audience with podiums in the stands, dancing in the aisles and platforms in front of the balconies so regardless of the seat, there is still a chance to examine the physiques up close. Ladders up the tent's support pillars along with performers 'dropping in' from above adds to the vertical variety of the show and the central stage's lighting rig holds more secrets that will amaze and astonish.

As with Ingram's invocation that the ideal man need not be in fancy dress but rather more realistic attire, Marina Toybina's costume design draws on real world ideals from the boy next door in jeans and t-shirts, to hipster charm, fashion forward modern monochrome and old-world elegance of sharp suits with all the trimmings. Naturally, the attire often disappears but it is refreshing that there is an awareness that the attraction of the ideal man is sometimes in how he puts himself together leaving a selection of numbers remaining fully clothed.

While the muscled men that each exude an individuality are the centre of the show, the audience engagement is maintained through the 90-minute performance by the creativity of Faulk, Espinosa and Broadlick's choreography which draws on a range of dance styles. The troupe that includes both Australian and international performers are all highly skilled dancers and their special talents are showcased to fabulous effect with the combination of Jack Rayner's music and Philip Gladwell's lighting design that helps direct the audience attention around the tent. Classical dance is combined with hip hop, jazz, tap and circus acrobatics while other numbers exude more explicit expressions of sexuality, often with the aid of members of the audience drawn up to the stage.

Gather your friends that appreciate the male form and plan a Night Out to enjoy MAGIC MIKE LIVE. Presented with class and a liberal dose of self-awareness this is a work that does not take itself too seriously but also stops well short of the ridiculousness of old-style strip shows. As with traditional spiegeltent cabaret shows, drinks and food are available throughout the show via smartphone-based ordering adding to the party vibe of the experience. MAGIC MIKE LIVE is a thoroughly enjoyable evening with an important and inspiring underlying message for all women.

https://magicmikelive.com.au/

Photos by Peter Brew-Bevan

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