An Excerpt from "Hello?
Is This Thing On" by Jake G. Cohen
USE YOUR ALLUSION
On the opposite end of the comedic spectrum at Harvard, stands Harrison R.
Greenbaum ’08.
He doesn’t perform in a group, he doesn’t make jokes up on the spot,
and—well, he’s not really a comedian. Greenbaum is, by training, a magician.
That training started early. “I’ve been doing it since I was five,” says
Greenbaum. “People feel that the magic bug bites them, and once you get into
it you can’t stop.”
Despite his inclinations toward magic, Greenbaum feels that comedy is a very
important element of his stage shows. Although magic and comedy occupy
“different worlds,” Greenbaum’s ultimate goal is to “bridge that gap.”
“Magic is weird and comedy is weird, and putting them together is even
weirder.” Nonetheless, he says, “I want to be the guy that’s both.”
Unlike OTI and IGP, Greenbaum does comedy with a safety net. “Most of my jokes
are already scripted and written in advance,” he says.
During performances, he says, “I go through a mental rolodex and pull out a
joke that I need.”
Magicians have a major advantage over comics. “The magic gives me a sort of
backup plan,” he claims. “When you’re a comedian and it’s just you and
the mic, if the audience doesn’t like you you’ve got nothing.”
Fans of sleight of hand will be able to catch Greenbaum’s act at ComedyFest.
They can also watch him at The Comedy Studio, a performance space on the third
floor of the Hong Kong restaurant in Harvard Square.
From the Harvard Crimson Arts Section,
April 20th, 2006
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