“For the last 20 years, I have made a living as a professional magician, speaker, and VIP entertainer around the world,” declares Keith Brown. And his acclaimed and award-winning show Absolute Magic is set to enchant audiences at Eldritch Theatre’s Red Sandcastle Theatre from October 10 – 15, 2023.
The career of this “wow”-inducing maestro of magic and storytelling has been nothing short of, well, magical . . . with performances in more than 20 countries, in theatres, at corporate offices and conferences, on television, at Stanley Cup parties, and even aboard cruise ships sailing the Mediterranean. The one constant? Accolades from crowds, critics and entertainment colleagues alike. He has just completed his ninth consecutive summer tour, in which Absolute Magic enjoyed a sold-out run in Edmonton, and won awards for Best Magic Show in Orlando, Florida and Winnipeg. He has wowed the likes of comedian and author Ali Hassan – and Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters has proclaimed him “incredible”.
A chance childhood encounter started him on this globetrotting magic path: “One of my brothers showed me something when I was a kid. Not only did I want to know, I needed to know,” he reminisces. “I had questions, and started searching for answers. They kept leading to more and more questions. I had found something that made me curious, that I was interested in, that I was passionate about. So I just started doing it, and learning as much as I possibly could about it.” At 13 years of age, he was offered a job at a bar doing magic, and by age 15, it was clear to him that “this was where my life was heading”.
Brown is dedicated to his craft and earnest in articulating its value. Absolute Magic, he explains, is a show that resonates deeply with audiences because “the show comes from the heart.” Brown believes that magic is a universal language that taps into our imagination, curiosity, and sense of play. It’s a conduit to explore the mysteries and wonders that surround us, offering a safe and enchanting escape from the mundane. “We are magic, surrounded by magic,” he muses. This makes magic a safe way to explore mystery: “Normally, the unknown is scary. But rather than fear, magic accesses our sense of wonder. It reminds us that there’s always something more to learn, if we take another look.” And having performed and perfected Absolute Magic for almost a decade, Brown is himself exploring that mystery anew each night: “the show is the collection of little genuine moments that are unique from night to night. People say and do things differently. I have to respond to it.”
But the path of a magician is not without challenge. Despite years of practice and meticulous preparation, mishaps are inevitable during live shows. “Everything goes wrong at some point or another,” Brown smiles. Whether it’s a trick gone awry, technical glitches, or an unexpected twist, experience has taught him that what matters is “how you deal with it and roll with the punches. There’s a great quote that I’ve always liked: ‘An amateur practises until they get it right. A professional practises until they can’t get it wrong’.” Another demanding aspect of being a magician is “constantly coming up with new material. Audiences want new things!” he notes, and this is why he is “always on the search for better magic and ways to improve the show.” Creativity is exhilarating . . . and exhausting, requiring countless hours of relentless repetition because “good material takes time to develop and hone.”
Navigating such an unconventional career path has had other challenges. The first is that “there’s not exactly a road map, or a school you go to. There’s lots of resources out there, but you have to find people and places that you trust.” Uncharted territory – ”the unknown and forging my own path”– is fuel for Brown’s passion. And while traveling the globe, Brown has built a vibrant community through his magic. For him, this is the best part of being a magician: “I get to meet incredible people and give them extraordinary moments. It’s nice visiting places year after year and seeing the same faces, and new ones, while you foster your community.”
To wrap up our conversation, I couldn’t resist asking Brown which magic trick he would teach someone new to the art. He starts not with himself, but with the student: “I’d be curious to know the type of magic YOU want to learn,” he reflects. Once he understood that, “I would teach you something that’s straightforward and to the point.” With a twinkle in his eye, he suggests “a trick that immediately pops to mind…making a coin penetrate through a table!” Why this trick? It’s “simple for both the audience and performer to comprehend. It’s convenient. You only need a coin, instead of large props. And it has the opportunity to teach larger underlying principles. Principles that can apply to any magic.” We might even call this practical magic, since “there aren’t a lot of steps or heavy lifting involved, so that you can focus on performing and connecting with your audience”.
His answer makes a lot of sense. And as I type this, I wish I had asked him to teach me the trick. Sadly, I remain ignorant as to how to make the Toonie I am holding penetrate the desk I am sitting at. But Toronto audiences have a wonderful opportunity this week to see Brown perform a plethora of such tricks, with consummate showmanship and charm, at Absolute Magic. The 60-minute show runs at the Red Sandcastle Theatre from October 10 – 15, 2023. Click here to reserve tickets online.
© Arpita Ghosal, Sesayarts Magazine, 2023
