Magic Steven: Note To Self (MICF)

Reviews have a tendency towards an overuse of cliches to make a point about the performance, especially in comedy. Acts get called "underdogs" or "up and coming" all the time, with little care for what those things actually mean (something of which this reviewer is definitely guilty), so it is a great pleasure that a legitimately, bona fide "unique" performance is gracing the MICF this year.

Magic Steven is far from a laugh-a-minute comic. In fact, to say he is a comic at all is not quite right, either. The artist (formerly known as Steven Harris) is part philosopher, part comedian, part monologist, and a total enigma. Note To Self, itself, is all these things as well, with Harris delivering the three-act piece directly from his own journal. There's no audience engagement, no improvisation, and not once does Harris even look up from his book. It is clearly exactly what he wants it to be, and it is a glorious venture into the structure and format of storytelling.

During Note To Self, Magic Steven says that the performance is not a story, but it's difficult to define it any other way. Sure, the occurrences within the piece are insignificant, but the way in which Harris communicates this information is a monotonal wonder. Every word is carefully chosen, with hilarious instances of over-explaining and tautology. He mentions that his friend is a doctor so many times that eventually the words become almost meaningless, like random vowels and consonants strewn together without any forethought. But, in doing this, Magic Steven lulls his audience into a false sense of security and suddenly reveals a brilliant set of untraditional jokes and meta-quips on building a narrative. The ending is simultaneously genius and aggravating, but at no point from start to finish is there a doubt that Harris is unsure of what he is doing.

Many will not like this performance, labelling it as "languid" or "meaningless", which in many ways it is. But that's the entire point of Note To Self. To try and grasp at any hidden meanings within the performance is a fool's endeavour, but by leaving everything at the surface, Magic Steven has created something truly special. No, there are no cards or top hats, but make no mistake, there is magic.

Magic Steven presents Note To Self till 20 Apr at Southbank Theatre, part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.