The problem with trying to interview Rick Bronson is that you’ll be laughing so hard, you won’t be able to write anything down.
Believe me – I know! I sat down to interview Rick at his newest comedy club, House of Comedy, in north Phoenix last month. I’m old fashioned enough to still simply take notes, rather than bring out a tape recorder, which could make some folks a bit self-conscious about what they’re saying. Oy! It was like trying to keep up with a whirling dervish – OK, maybe a spinning dreidel, but you get the idea. Rick was so funny and personable, it didn’t take long for us to feel like old friends.
Workmen were busy tending to details inside the club, located at High Street (the former City North), just north of Desert Ridge Mall in northeast Phoenix. The club seats 320 and offers full dinners as well as drinks and snacks. There’s also a trendy bar in the lobby. This is Rick’s third club, and he says this venue is his favorite size. “This mid-size club allows us to really work the magic,” he comments.
Rick has had a family home in Scottsdale for more than five years, but Canada is where he was born and raised. Originally from Montreal, his Canadian home is now in Edmonton; his first club, The Comic Strip, billed as Canada’s Premier Comedy Theatre, was opened in the West Edmonton Mall in 2004. He moved to Edmonton when he married his wife, Tammy, whom he had met when she was a comedy booking agent; she had booked him as a comedian to play the local college circuit. Tammy converted to Judaism, and they were married in 1994. She and their two sons, Noah, 18, and Tanner, 8, spend the school year in Edmonton but love to be in Arizona as often as they can.
Rick admits to being an absolute golf addict. “I built a putting and chipping green in my back yard,” he says with a grin. “Golf was a big factor in our buying a home in the Valley. I hadn’t planned to have a comedy club here, but things just worked out!” In 2013 ScanlanKemperBard Cos., a real- estate private-equity firm based in Portland, OR, and Minnesota-based Wayzata Investment Partners purchased the area known as High Street, north of the 101 off Tatum. The new owners have added 18 occupants, including office tenants, restaurants and retail stores, and recently announced that Sprouts will be coming in as well. They sought out Rick to help make the area a destination location.
In addition to his successful club in Edmonton, Rick added a House of Comedy in the famous Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, in 2009 and is building a fourth club in the upcoming $1.8-billion megamall, American Dream Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ. “The whole development is going to be amazing.” Rick says. “It’s got everything. There’s even a Ferris wheel that is so large and high you can see the New York City skyline from the top!” Developers plan to include an indoor ski slope, the world’s largest wave pool and even Cirque de Soleil performances. The mall is expected to open in 2016.
So, just how did this all come to be? How did a chubby little Jewish kid from Montreal become a highly respected comedy impresario?
Let’s go back to the beginning. Rick was born into a middle-class Jewish family, a fact for which he is very grateful. “My mother was a teacher, my father was a broker. If we hadn’t been middle class, I don’t think I would have developed my work ethic the way I did. I must admit my own boys are a bit more spoiled,” he says before adding with a twinkle, “My wife’s fault, of course.”
Rick sidetracks for a moment to mention that his Hebrew name is Pesach Simchah. “What kind of a name is that? Pesach Simchah. When you have to spit on someone to say your name, you know you’re in trouble. Pesach Simchah roughly translates to Happy Passover; it’s like naming your kid Merry Christmas!”
Rick’s grandfather was president of the Orthodox shul where Rick became a bar mitzvah. “Man, I did every single word of that service,” he recalls with mock amazement. He also mentions how lucky he felt to have all four of his great-grandmothers in attendance at that milestone event. “As a 12/13-year-old, I was a fat
Jewish kid who played piano and sax as well as several sports. But I didn’t always fit in. One day, I saw a friend perform a magic trick; when he wouldn’t tell me how he did it, I started doing research. In no time, I had my own magic show and started doing up to eight parties a weekend. I was able to buy myself some great stereo and ski equipment!”
He kept developing his magic act and added comedy. It was clear he had found his calling. When it came time for college though, Rick simply couldn’t find a good fit. “Jewish sons have three choices for occupations,” he confides. “Doctor, lawyer or major disappointment. I chose the third option.” His parents, with whom Rick is very close, are now enormously proud of him.
“I think they swallowed their disappointment when they saw the great guest house I have here for them,” he quips. And so he began his stand-up comedy career, traveling around making people laugh. He was especially popular on the college circuit and was named Comedian of the Year by the Canadian Organization of Campus Activities eight times between 1997 and 2005. He also won an AMPIA (Alberta Media Production Industries Association) Award for Best TV Host for his work in his Canadian travel series, “The Tourist.” And his one-hour special for the Comedy Network and CTV was the highest rated in the network’s history.
But things started changing in 2001. Rick had been diagnosed with Crohn’s disease as a teenager, and it was starting to flare up aggressively. Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. It has a very high percentage of Jewish patients. “You know how everyone knows where they were during 9/11?” he asks. “I’ll certainly always remember. I was in the hospital, near death, having just had my fifth surgery in four days. It was part of a two-month-long hospital stay.” As the disease continued to wreak its havoc, Rick knew he couldn’t continue the pace and stress of being a stand-up. Before long things fell into place, and he was able to open The Comic Strip in Edmonton in 2004. “How great is that?” he exclaims. “As an owner, I can have a little stage time whenever I want it!”
Though not officially diagnosed, Rick believes he also has adult ADHD. His eyes dart around the room as he talks, taking in everything that is going on. He moves and squirms in the comfortable booth seating. He has an enormous amount of energy, particularly for someone with a disease like Crohn’s. “I really believe my ADHD gives me a number of creative advantages. I tend to see things with a little different perspective than others; it helps to keep up my energy and add to unique, creative ideas.”
Rick is known as a “comic who owns a club.” In that vein, he is viewed as a club owner who treats his acts well. After all, he knows what it’s like to be on the other side of things. With a reputation like this, he’s able to book the best talent available. The comics at his clubs have been seen on shows and networks such as “Letterman,” “The Daily Show,” The Comedy Network, Comedy Central, “Last Comic Standing” and more.
Early on Rick realized he needed to know more than comedy
to make the clubs successful. He’s enjoyed getting to learn the business side of the hospitality industry. In addition to having to learn how to be a restaurateur and bar owner, he needs to stay plugged in to the latest comedy trends. “Clubs need to keep reinventing themselves,” he says proudly. “We have new shows each week!”
Thanks to Humira, a new drug on the market for those with Crohn’s disease, Rick is managing his disease. But there is currently no cure, so he has to be vigilant. “I truly believe in the power of humor to heal. I know that’s a big part of how I handle my Crohn’s, for example.”
Ever the optimist, Rick even finds a positive element to having Crohn’s Disease. “Because of my belief in the power of humor to help in the healing process, I was hired on to a team of motivational speakers who tour the country with seminars called ‘Unleash the Power Within.’ I emceed many of the events to help add levity to the program. Some of the presenters were great people who had wonderful messages, but they were not exactly exciting speakers. I was able to interject some humor and in a way, my dealing with Crohn’s gave me that much more credibility.”
He speaks with great pride of his time on this circuit and the hope that he was able to humbly act as an inspiration to others.
I think that pretty much wraps up most of Rick’s story. I have lots more notes, but few make sense any more. It’s hard to write legibly when your whole body is shaking with laughter. Next time remind me to take a tape recorder.
Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy
5350 E High St., Suite 105 • Phoenix, AZ 85054 | 480-420-3553 | houseofcomedy.net
Coming up in December:
Dec 3-7: Greg Warren
Dec 10-14: Ben Gleib
Dec 17-21: Godfrey
Dec 26-28: Brandt Tobler
New Year’s Eve: Rocky Laporte
