Theatre

Gloria Brancatisano / June 25, 2021

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Five things you need to know before spending a night with Magic Mike Live in Australia

*Pony plays softly in the background*

Magic Mike Live has arrived in Melbourne!

By now you’ve seen the films (probably more than a few times), but the live show is an evening you have to experience for yourself. Based on the hit movies Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL, Magic Mike Live has been described as nothing less than a thrilling, sexy, live dance and acrobatic spectacular.

Before the show opens in Melbourne, here are five things you need to know that will definitely convince you to gather your best friends and book tickets ASAP.

Magic Mike Live is created and produced by the team behind the Magic Mike film franchise

For those unfamiliar, the Magic Mike film franchise is loosely based on a young Channing Tatum’s own life, so the live show couldn’t possibly be safe in anyone else’s hands. 

However, Tatum hasn’t conceived and directed Magic Mike Live alone. Alison Faulk, who choreographed all of the iconic dance sequences in the Magic Mike films – and has worked with the likes of Janet Jackson, Britney Spears, Missy Elliot and Miley Cyrus – also takes on co-director and choreography for the show. 

It doesn’t stop there though Because Reid Carolin, who wrote and produced both Magic Mike films, is also wearing both writer and director hats for the live show.

What we’re saying is – if you’re a fan of the films, you’re going to love Magic Mike Live.

However, the show is a lot more than just inspired by the films – it is a night out for women, created by women, so of course, there is a stack of incredible women throughout the creative team shaping the show you’re about to become a part of.

Alongside Faulk, Teresa Espinosa also had a hand in choreographing the live show and has worked with everyone from Missy Elliot to Mariah Carey, Pink, and Rihanna.

Rachel O’Toole, Anita La Scala and Marina Toybina round out the creative team in production, scenic and costume design, while Katie Zanca and Candice Fox lead casting, so you know these women have taken care to create a production that will both entertain and empower.

The venue is one-of-a-kind, and it’s mind-blowingly incredible 

Stepping inside The Arcadia – specially built by the legendary tent building family at Het Spiegelpaleis in Belgium for Magic Mike Live in Australia – is like walking into a mythological land, a modern-day Eden, if you will. Where else could you possibly indulge in one of the most unique shows on the planet?

As intimate as it is breathtaking, the three-story venue – designed to bring you into the show no matter where you’re seated – has to be seen, and experienced, to be believed. Every detail of the luxurious custom-built venue has been considered with your comfort in mind, as the extraordinary cast performs in front of, behind, and above you.

“There’s nothing else like it in the world,” Alison Faulk, the show’s co-director and choreographer, says. “It is the most beautiful, special place for people to experience the show and has allowed us to do things with our performers that haven’t been possible anywhere else in the world.”

“The Arcadia is the largest Spiegeltent in the world. And it is incredible – everything about it, the finishes on every seat, every single detail, adds to the vibe of stepping into a different world and getting to experience something where you feel comfortable. But also, it’s a nice, romantic night,” Dayton Tavares, one of the incredible Magic Mike Live performers, adds.

“The stage is set directly in the middle of the whole tent. So, no matter where you’re seated, you can see everything. We perform on the stage, but we also move throughout the venue. We perform around the seating areas. There are mini-stages in the bleacher section of the tent. We perform on the stairs, on the balconies, on the railings, on the bar. It’s the most incredible venue that I’ve performed in because of how different it is and how the audience gets to experience that 360-view. 

“The scale of the production is enormous. One of the things I remember during rehearsals was how impressive the lighting is and how every detail of this show has been meticulously created. No one is left leaving the show and thinking, ‘Oh, I didn’t get to see that,’ or ‘I couldn’t see what was happening,’ or ‘I didn’t feel like I was part of the experience because I was seated up the back.’ We move throughout the whole venue and make sure that everyone feels included and everyone has a chance to feel involved in the show.”

You’re in for a steamy night, but there’s more than meets the eye 

When we say Magic Mike, it’s expected that you automatically think of sexy men showing off their incredible dancing skills.

And don’t you worry. If a steamy night living out some of your wildest fantasies is what you’re looking for, Magic Mike Live has you covered. But there is so much more to this world-class production than just a bunch of six-packed men showing off their greatest talents.

The show, and everything within it, is handcrafted to showcase the best of the cast. From singing to piano to sidesplittingly funny comedy and breathtaking acrobatics, every Magic Mike stage show around the globe is different.

And, with performers from right here in Australia, as well as England, New Zealand, America, and Russia and highlights including a So You Think You Can Dance runner-up, dancers who have performed alongside Kylie Minogue, Taylor Swift, Backstreet Boys, Calvin Harris, Nicki Minaj, Jonas Brothers, Snoop Dogg, and credits including The Bodyguard, Dirty Dancing: The Immersive Experience, The Illusionists, X Factor Australia, The Voice AU, The Masked Singer, and Australia’s Got Talent – this really is a diverse, elite group.

“The show leaves people surprised and is very unexpected because it’s catered to who they end up casting,” Tavares says. “If you went and saw the show in Vegas or Berlin or London or here in Australia, you’d have completely different experiences. It would feature different music and different routines because it really is created based on the cast, and plays to each of our strengths.”

Holding the whole night together will be your MC, because only a fabulous, strong, and hilarious leading lady could guide us through the night, delving inside each and every person’s idea of the perfect man and magically making them appear before your very eyes. A sensitive musician, a sexy tradie with a kind heart, a CEO who pays his women equally, a man with a puppy – you don’t know who you’ll meet.

Magic Mike Live is all about empowerment. The show, and the way you experience it, is completely up to you

“You can have anything that you want – you just have to ask…” – that’s the promise Magic Mike Live offers before you even step inside their world, and it’s a promise they stick to.

The immersive, thrilling dance and acrobatic spectacular is made for a woman’s gaze but is directed at a woman’s heart, and the best part is, you control exactly how your night unfolds.

Want to be a part of the action? With performers spread throughout The Arcadia, you might just get the chance. Uncomfortable with the attention and would rather just sit back and watch? That’s totally fine too.

“This show being interactive is the coolest thing about it. Whenever I think about the show, of course you’re expecting a sensual experience, but I love how, as an audience member, the show is really for you,” Tavares says. 

“It is really cool to have that sense of empowerment and to dictate how much or how little you receive during the night, and being able to feel empowered through that. The show is very safe and very respectful in that way. There’s something for everyone, it has got everything, and it is so impressive. Everyone in the cast is so talented and I don’t think that anyone could come and see the show and leave disappointed.”

Come for the show, stay for everything else

We hope you didn’t think that your night with Magic Mike Live starts and ends with the performance. Because, while that is the main event, your Magic Mike Live experience can stretch as long as you please.

Guests are encouraged to come early and stay late to enjoy the unique indoor-outdoor atmosphere of The Arcadia, as well as all the delicious food and drink offerings. Speciality cocktails, wine, prosecco, and more will be available in the lobby before the show starts, while the food hall has a variety of curated snacks and mini-meals to enjoy before, or after the show.

Waitstaff are also available throughout the night for bottle service, champagne, cocktails, and more.

And if you consider yourself a VIP – because of course you should – $49 VIP Package add-on is available with any ticket purchase and includes a signature ‘Pretty In Pink’ cocktail in a souvenir glass, a signed program book delivered to your seat by a member of the cast, a VIP lanyard, and a merchandise pack that includes a customised MML ball cap, unicorn socks and a unicorn lapel pin.

Magic Mike Live will land in Melbourne from Tuesday 29 June at The Arcadia, Birrarung Marr before heading to Brisbane. You can also join the waitlist to hear news about Perth’s season. Tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster.com.au.