Peter and Bambi Heaven (the performance pseudonyms of Asher Treleaven and Gypsy Wood) are about to burst on stage with their MICF show The Magic Inside, a performance in the glitzy showbiz style of magic. Think David Copperfield and Claudia Schiffer, but warped through the lens of comedy and satire.
“We wanted to make a couple performance; we didn’t really know how it would go,” says Treleaven, who has been twice nominated for a MICF Barry Award, and was nominated the Best Newcomer at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe and has received accolades such as The Age Comedian of the Year, The Age Critics’ Choice Award and the 2014 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment for his role in the stage show La Soiree. How much actual magic is involved? “The Magic Inside is a weird show for MICF to sell, being magic and parody,” Treleaven says. “We fully learnt some magic stuff. Magic is weird and odd.”
“We tried the magic thing and slowly it turned down some other alleys, made some twists and turns and went to a very dark place indeed,” adds Wood. “We’re parodying everything we took seriously in our twenties. We’ve been together for eight years, and Ash has trained in circus and I’ve trained in burlesque, so we’ve got eight years of couple stuff and all those years of performance training to draw on, all those exercises we had to do. The show is a total joy to do. Comedy is the best revenge.” Treleaven agrees. “Revenge is the best thing about comedy.”
Are they getting on each other’s nerves, living, working and performing together? “Yes, we are,” they both answer simultaneously. “Making a show together is mad,” Treleaven says. “It’s a terrible, sad, insane thing to do.”
“We have to just push on,” Wood continues. We turn our meltdowns into comedy. We catch ourselves looking at ourselves in the mirror. There are so many moments – like when my fishnets get stuck in my sequins – we turn that into comedy.
“We want to do this show. We’re committed,” says Treleaven. “We’re excited – we think it’s got legs. We’re in a happy place, we’ve come this far. We wanted to do this show for a while. It has longevity.”
“The exciting thing about this show is that people come along expecting a high-end glossy magic show,” adds Woods. “So they are shocked when the parody and comedy kick in. And we sell magical honey at the end of it. ”
Ultimately, it’s been one of the most satisfying experiences the pair have ever shared. “It’s a pretty tightly scripted show,” Treleaven says. “I’ve done about six or seven Comedy Festival shows and been on an enormous roller coaster with shows, and this one’s by far the most difficult, on account of the costume changes, the tech requirements, the set, but it’s also the most rewarding show I’ve ever done.”
By Liza Dezfouli
Venue: Roxanne – Parlour Room, 2 Coverlid Place (off Lt Bourke St, btw Russell & Exhibition Sts), CBD
Dates: March 24 – April 17 (except Mondays)
Times: 7pm (Sundays 6pm)
Tickets: $25 – $28
