Toronto Fringe Review: Absolute Magic with Keith Brown

Part magic show, part storytelling, Keith Brown brings us Absolute Magic – an hour of your time that’s guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face.  

“I don’t like this…moat”, Keith Brown gestures toward the gap between the elevated stage and the audience, shortly before hopping down into it. This set the tone for the evening – Brown’s stage presence is far more personable than the stereotypical flashy showmanship of a magician. Throughout the show he reiterated how passionate he is about the craft. Rather than trying to dazzle us, he stated his desire to share in our wonder and amusement, which was evident throughout. 

I’m far from a stage magic connoisseur, but what intrigued me about Brown’s tricks is their relative simplicity, with many of them relying on a deck of cards. Simplicity doesn’t mean unimpressive or befuddling, however. In fact, the last trick of the evening resulted in me exclaiming an audible, “what?!” shortly before the applause came.  

Anchoring the show was Brown relaying the eventful tale of how he performed for an international head of state, accompanied by us seeing one of the tricks performed for them.  

If there was one thing I felt wanting more of, it was the storytelling. I should note that this desire may be informed by the many storytelling shows I’ve seen at Fringe that take on a more confessional, intimate tone. I also think when I hear about two (or more) distinct performance styles being combined, I’m interested to see how the boundaries between them can be blurred. 

I should say that my want for more storytelling is me trying to think of some kind of feedback for this review and is coloured by my “theatre school baggage”. All in all, Absolute Magic is simply honest-to-goodness fun for all, with equal measures of sincerity and heartfulness.

Absolute Magic is on now until July 15 as part of Toronto Fringe. Show times and tickets here.