By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — “I don’t live life. I tolerate it.” –Brad Zimmerman
A job waiting tables is almost a given when you pursue a career as an actor. I’ve done it myself, so I knew I would appreciate this gig. This is one of those concepts where you say, “Dammit! Why didn’t I think of that?” Prior to seeing his show, I met with Brad in the conference room of the REP where we spoke at some length.
“For 29 years, I worked as a waiter. That’s a lot longer than what is considered ‘understandable’.”
Brad didn’t care for the upscale places -–where the money is. He preferred casual dining.
“If it was any kind of restaurant where you had to train for any length of time and know the wines… No, no, no. If I was waiting, I wanted to be able to sit down and say, ‘How you doin’?’ … There were a couple of upscale places, but I didn’t last long. I felt out of place.”
Brad steps off the stage and interacts with the house a bit. And he can be pretty chutzpadik.
“I once waited on a table of four old Jewish ladies…” We laughed before he even got to the punch line. “I asked them, ‘Is anything okay?’”
Like many Jewish comedians, his humor can be very self-deprecating.
“In high school, I was voted most likely to work for his father.”
It’s not all about food service and acting. Brad covers a broad range of topics. He goes on quite a rant about reality TV. It angers him that it no longer takes talent and hard work to become famous. But his greatest rant is about his mother. What else?
“My mother has played a large role in my life. … I would have cast her in a smaller role. Fewer lines.”
Brad’s impression of his mother is hilarious, especially when she makes a dental appointment for him and tells the receptionist her life story. His impression of his father during the last year of his life is quite touching.
As a comedian, Brad Zimmerman has opened for the likes of George Carlin and Joan Rivers. Joan likened him to Billy Crystal and Gary Shandling as a great opening act.
“I was George Carlin’s opener for three years. I’d still be with him if he was still alive. … George was a really nice man, very supportive of comedians. He was your basic guy from Harlem. We would talk sports when I would get the chance to ride with him on his private chartered plane. When you work with a star, the key is that first show. If you do well, you’re going to keep working for him.”
So why did he do it? Why wait tables for 29 years, waiting for your ship to come it, when most would have given it up long before?
“A lot of why I stuck it out had a lot to do with my need to feel better about myself. … My journey has been as much about learning how to really like who you are.”
Brad Zimmerman speaks with cold-water-in-your-face frankness. This man has raised contempt to an art form. If you loathe phony pretense and moronic reality TV, then you will eat up this show. So sit down and sink your teeth into My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy playing at the Lyceum Space through July 6, 2014.
For tickets, go to http://sdrep.org/show.php?goto=1&id=132
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com