By MELISSA BYKOFSKY
Throughout high school, Greenbaum had a passion for magic, and performed as a magician, writing his own scripts. This led to his interest in comedy, he explained.
"Most of my stuff is inspired by my family," said Greenbaum, a Woodmere resident. "They are very quirky, very cool."
After graduating as valedictorian of Lawrence High School, Greenbaum went on to study at Harvard University. His interest in stand-up comedy grew at Harvard when he performed at an annual student comedy show. It was then that Greenbaum realized comedy would be an important part of his future.
Along with a friend, Greenbaum started the Harvard College Stand-up Comic Society (Harvard College SUCS) as a junior. "It was founded in January of 2007, and it has been great," Greenbaum said. "Once we started the club, campus went from having one comedy show a year to having over 20 shows -- which all sold out."
Going into the field of stand-up comedy wasn't always Greenbaum's dream. Although Greenbaum knew he wanted to enter the entertainment industry, he also envisioned a more traditional career path.
"My roommate was one of those medical school kids who knew that he always wanted to be a doctor, so I was considering a traditional path as well -- law school," Greenbaum said. "But as I started performing, I realized entertainment could be a career option, so I am trying to make a career out of that."
At Harvard, Greenbaum majored in psychology, with a secondary major in English, American literature and language. He graduated, with a Summa Cum Laude distinction, in May.
Many question how Greenbaum's parents feel about their son attending Harvard to become a comedian, but he said that "my parents have been unbelievably supportive and always encourage my dreams."
Greenbaum, son of former Lawrence school board member Pamela Greenbaum, performs his comedy routines virtually every day. He now focuses his efforts on a show in a Times Square comedy club, which runs every Thursday night at 10 p.m. The show, created and produced by Greenbaum, is called "Stand-Up Comedy: Live at the Sage Theater," located at the Sage Theater on 711 Seventh Avenue, 2nd Floor between 47th and 48th Street.
This show started off as a three-week trial run, but due to its success, it was extended to six weeks. It became become the longest running show at the theater, with over 50 performances.
"It's just starting to get to the point that we get e-mails out of the blue from people wanting auditions to be on the show," Greenbaum said. "Stand-up comedians sometimes perform before or after they do a Comedy Central special."
To get ideas for his routines, Greenbaum carries a notebook around with him and writes down anything he sees or hears that could be twisted into something funny.
"I try to write down anything that strikes me as being weird." Greenbaum said. "I reflect back on world events from a perspective that hasn't been considered before."
Greenbaum also writes for MAD Magazine, and performs as many stand-up comedy routines as possible. He has been named a Regional semifinalist to RooftopComedy .com's National College Comedy Competition, and plans on performing at the Boston Comedy Festival in September.
He is now back in Woodmere, but plans to move to Manhattan in the near future.
Greenbaum said he is still surprised that his dream of entering the entertainment industry as a comedian is already coming true.
"When September comes around and I don't go back to school, I'm going to realize this is all for real," Greenbaum said.
For more information on Greenbaum's upcoming shows, visit www.HarrisonGreenbaum.com.
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