A Magic Mike-inspired strip show has been cancelled by Swansea Council after concerns were raised about the performance, according to its Channing Tatum lookalike lead performer.
Will Parfitt, 36, has attracted fans around the world because of his chiselled jawline and resemblance to the Hollywood star who played the leading role in Magic Mike.
Will, who fronts the dance group Magic Men, had been due to perform at the Grade I listed Brangwyn Hall in Swansea at the end of October. However, the local authority cancelled the event at short notice.
A Swansea Council spokesman said the decision followed unspecified “concerns” raised about the show.
Will believes the performance was cancelled because council officials considered it too sexualised.
He said: “They told us they had just cancelled. They said the show was ‘too raunchy’.
“It’s actually so upsetting. We only had two shows in Wales, so it is frustrating.”
The performer said he first learned about the cancellation when fans began contacting him to ask why the scheduled event was no longer taking place.
Will Parfitt is loved by fans because he looks like Channing Tatum who starred in Magic Mike
The 36-year-old said he was left heartbroken by Swansea Council’s decision to axe his show
Will said the group’s previous performances in Wales had been “some of the best shows we have done”.
“The show we did in North Wales was amazing. It was so good because the audience were so up for it. We did Cardiff two years ago and that was so much fun.
“For them to have just cancelled it – it’s such a disappointment.”
Although the council said ticket holders would receive a full refund, Will said he was concerned that some fans could also lose money after booking hotel rooms for the event.
The cancellation will also leave his fellow dancers out of pocket, as they are paid for each show they perform.
When approached for comment, a spokesman for Swansea Council said: “We’ve taken the decision not to go ahead with Saturday’s Magic Men show at the Brangwyn Hall following concerns raised with us.
“We’re sorry for the disappointment this will cause. We’ve contacted everyone who bought tickets and they will receive a full refund.”
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Will’s show has continued to grow since launching in Australia several years ago.
Will’s show Magic Men began in Australia and soon attracted a large following on social media
Swansea Council cancelled Will’s performance but told fan that they would refund their tickets
Will said: ‘We are so frustrated about it. We only had two shows in Wales so it’s frustrating’
Thousands of people travel miles to watch Will and the boys perform in the show, as many think he looks so much like Channing Tatum.
In the past, Will said the show tends to defy expectations. He stressed it’s nothing like the stereotypes people might have in mind.
He added: ‘I just feel bad for the girls who booked to see us. People booked hotels and planned to travel to Wales.
‘That’s the worst thing for me is we feel like we have let them down. We have done all we can to help them come to another show.
‘We will try to upgrade them any way we can.’
Adding in a tongue-in-cheek apology to his fans on Facebook, Will added: ‘Sorry Swansea, anyone who comes to any of our other shows from Swansea will be upgraded to a meet and greet with me and the boys.
‘Apparently too much action for Wales I think the girls would disagree.’
One of Will’s fans said the decision to cancel the show was an overreaction.
The Brangwyn Hall is a concert venue in Swansea named after the artist Frank Brangwyn
She said: ‘That is ridiculous I saw this show two years ago in Cardiff.
‘There was nothing wrong in it. It is just men dancing on stage topless and seductively with a little tease.’
She added when she saw the Chippendales, the first all-male dance act formed in 1979 in Los Angeles, perform in Swansea a few years ago ‘she probably saw worse’.
‘It is just a fun night out.’