Aussie hunks set to draw shy Pinays out of their shells

After learning that Filipino women are naturally shy, the 10-member Magic Men Australia, who are set to perform in Manila in March, said that their next goal would be “to make sure to break the shy ones out of their shells.”

Founded in 2014, Australia’s Magic Men have gained a massive cult following with their reputation “for delivering top-tier entertainment that combines the art of seduction with sensual choreography.” Oceania’s largest and No.1 male revue show will be coming to Manila to perform at the Newport World Resorts from March 16 to 17.

Magic Men member Jeffrey Cornelius said it has become a habit for the group to first try to learn a little bit about their audience before performing. “I’m going to use last year’s Canadian tour as an example. I did look up the market for this industry and if there was much of an industry there, and then realized that Magic Men is truly above all these industries over there, and so there was no worry at all.

“In terms of preparation, I was sure that there was going to be a great audience. Similarly in the Philippines, I understand that this sort of thing is not so frequent, so I’m very confident that it’s going to be a big ‘wow’ factor. It’s going to be very exhilarating to have something like this in the Philippines,” he told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent virtual chat.

Jeffrey added that his group has already met quite a number of Filipino women who come to their shows in Australia. “I noticed that the women are a little bit shy, but when they are in larger groups, they seem to be more outgoing. I learned that as long as I approach them calmly, it’s fine. I’m very confident that I can break the shy ones out of their shells,” he observed.

Carlos Fang said their Magic Men tour is 12 years in the making. “We can’t wait and are excited to kickstart the tour with Asia. The Philippines is probably more special to us compared to the others. One of the main reasons is that our entire office team in Magic Men are all Filipino women,” he reported.

“Also, we have a large audience of Filipino followers who come to our show,” added Will Parfitt. “They are always so friendly and giggly, always happy to volunteer to come up the stage, so we thought, ‘Why not bring the show to them?’ You can expect to enjoy grabbing some good ol’ Australian meat. You’ll get a nice little dance from one of the guys, depending on how much clothing the guy has on and what part of the show you come up onstage.”

Go beyond expectations

Jeffrey said the group’s main goal “is to make sure the women are happy, that they are having a good time. Majority of the women come in very curious, and leave very chatty and delighted. A lot of times we hear that it was more than what they expected. We really try to go beyond the expectations.”

Cezr Smith was asked for tips on the best way for a first-time attendee to enjoy the show. “There’s a lot of crowd interaction within the show. You’re not just watching it, you’re actually in it. We get from 40 to 50 women to go up the stage at any one time. We’re not always onstage, we actually spend time inside with the women,” Cezr said.

Carlo Powell said no two performances are alike because each member has his unique quality. For instance, Carlo is also a professional dancer. “I have a dance background. I trained in jazz, ballet and tap, but my foundation is hip-hop. Before joining the group, I used to do a lot of freestyle. Everyone brings something fresh and different to the show,” he said.

Put on a show

Carlo added that meeting the audience is also different for each member. In fact, he admitted fielding several “indecent proposals” in the past. “I’m not going to speak on behalf of the other boys, but when I get in that situation I just tell them that they need to give us a little respect. You see, at the end of the day, we are there to entertain and put on a show.”

Jeff added: “I’ve also gotten quite a few because we would often chat with the girls after the show. Quite frequently, they would ask us to go back to the hotel or to their house with them. I would say, this is all for show only. Yes, there have been crazy ones. Some people tend to act crazy when they feel the heat.”

Nic Murray has this interesting explanation on why he and the boys often end up in awkward situations with the ladies. “It’s because, sometimes, we do our jobs a little too well onstage, so our guests get in the heat of the moment. As a result, they do ask us to come back with them and party. Whether that’s harmless, we just tell them that things are strictly professional,” he pointed out. “After that, we head home and try to get our much-needed Zs. I’m sure I can speak on behalf of the other guys that the last thing we want to do is party because what we do is really exhausting.”

Produced by Trifecta Brand Lab, the shows at the Newport Performing Arts Theater on March 16 and 17 will be at 8 p.m. Tickets are available at TicketWorld.