Oy! Twenty-nine years as a waiter? Probably not any Jewish mother’s first choice for her son – or ANY mother’s for that matter. The money may not be bad, but where’s the chance for advancement, the opportunity to make a name for yourself or to help society? That’s what Brad Zimmerman kept hearing over and over in his head. He could have just accepted his fate, but instead he got busy and wrote “My Son, the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy.”
Brad will be performing his one-man show from Dec. 25 to Feb. 2 at the Herberger Theater, 222 E Monroe in Phoenix. It’s a funny and poignant look at his years serving other people, all the while trying to make it as a comic.
“What makes audiences connect with the story is that it’s true,” explains Brad, who recently turned 60. Brad is a Jersey boy, born and raised in Bergen County just outside of New York. He became a bar mitzvah through Temple Emanuel in Westwood, NJ, but by the time he reached Hebrew High, he started shying away from organized Judaism. “I am very proud of being Jewish and in fact, I kind of reek Judaism through my pores! But I’m much more a secular Jew these days.”
In his younger days, Brad didn’t have much self-esteem, wasn’t sure of his abilities as an actor and had chosen not to work for his father. So he followed the path of many who just can’t quite make the big time in the entertainment world: he waited on tables and waited for his break. But he finally took a couple of classes and started writing his story in the early 2000s. And his life started to change. By 2004 he was opening for folks like George Carlin and Joan Rivers, and by 2007 he was able to stop waiting tables for good.
“Everything happens the way it’s supposed to be,” Brad says. He’s been traveling around the country with his show and has nearly all of 2014 booked. “I don’t mind the traveling so much, except for long plane flights. But I do know I’ll always want to live in the East; I thrive on the intellectual stimulation and culture there.” But he’s quick to add that he enjoys meeting new types of audiences everywhere he goes. The show has generated much buzz while delivering an inspirational message: if you can find something in your life that you truly love, that gives your life meaning and you don’t give up under any circumstance, it can make for a meaningful and rich life, no matter the outcome. “My Son the Waiter” is a performance for anyone who aspires to get the most out of their talents and is willing to stay the course.
Brad recently added another element to his production. He’s written a book that he sells and autographs at the end of the performance. Atta boy Zimmy! is based on the cheers his father would yell when Brad was a young athlete. “Plus,” he grins, “there’s an introduction written by my mother, who is every Jewish mother’s Jewish mother!”
“My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy” is produced by Philip Roger Roy and Dana Matthow, who also produced “My Mother’s Italian, my Father’s Jewish and I’m in Therapy.” :
