NEW YORK — Channing Tatum is bringing the stage spin-off of his wildly successful “Magic Mike” film franchise to New York City, promising to “turn up the gas” on a show that already generates plenty of heat.
“Magic Mike Live” — which offers plenty of chiseled abs and sex-positivity — will open its specially designed 425-seat immersive experience on October 8 at the onetime Copacabana nightclub at the corner of 47th Street and 8th Avenue.
Tatum told the Associated Press, “We’ll turn the gas up a little and make it a little hotter, just put a little gasoline in it. This is New York. So you have to throw everything at it.”
“Magic Like Live” turns the traditional, sleazy male review on its head, putting women in the audience first at a time when toxic masculinity is under fire.
The show features 13 ripped male dancers and a female MC, combining songs, aerial acrobatics, comedy, plentiful drink service and audience participation only if necessary.
“It’s like a fabulous dance that has a sexy twist, and for us sexy is a lot of things. Sexy is fun. Sexy is athletic. Sexy is smart. So we try to choreograph the dance with all those things in mind,” says Alison Faulk, co-director and choreographer.
“There are very few places that are built with women in mind,” she adds. “It’s built with the woman in mind and designed to make her whole night happy, easy and fun, just like taking the load off. There are very few places like that.”
Some of the songs will include Ginuwine’s “Pony”, which is featured in the films, 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop”, Gallant’s “Open Up”, James Brown’s “Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine” and Ro James’ “Permission”, as well as original music.
The creators say the new venue is actually a mix between an elegant nightclub and a theatrical space, with multiple bars and lounges and seating areas that range from sofas and traditional theatrical seats to bar stools, cabaret tables and banquettes.
Creative director and executive producer Vincent Marini says, “What we really try to do is to create an evening of surprise and delight that gives you what you expect and then a lot of things you never thought you’d get.” “What we did for the male review is very similar to what Cirque du Soleil did for the circus.”
Tatum, who spent time in revues such as Chippendale’s as a young dancer before becoming a movie star, envisioned a nightclub-style show but warned visitors not to expect a live version of the “Magic Mike” films.
“The biggest reason I made this show was to dismantle the old version of male entertainment, because I’ve worked in that version and it’s misogynistic and demeaning to women,” he says.
“It’s just a little gross. I’m not going to lie. Like, I did it for about 10 months and I was like, ‘Wow, this is crazy. This is crazy,'” he adds. “Most of the people who like our show, I think, are the same people who hate that kind of stuff the most.”
The success of the films first spawned a Las Vegas stage show in 2017, which now has outposts in London and Berlin and is touring Australia. The upcoming New York version will be changed to reflect the city and the creators say they have better crafted the story.
Tatum says the creators learned that audiences in different cities behave differently – for example, the London audience was more stable than the Vegas one – and whoever the MC is can really change the experience by setting the tone.
“This New York production is the culmination of 10 years of work and ideas and seeing millions of people, men and women, go to this show,” says Marini. “We want to come to New York with the best version of this yet.”
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