Get ready for something that will knock your socks off! No. Rather, something that will make you laugh your socks off! Rick Bronson is no introverted man, and his House of Comedy isn’t any bit introverted either. Ready for business for it’s BANG of a grand opening, Rick Bronson’s House of Comedy will lack no laughs, attendance, nor pizazz. We sat down with the owner and comedian himself to hear all about the new location and we definitely got a a comedy show of our own.
What is the comedy club?
“It’s an all-accommodating lounge of laughter. From our headlining acts, MC’s, ‘The Heckler Lounge,” to our stage room monitors, to even our outside lighting – we cut no corners. I truly believe in producing our shows differently so that everyone wants to come back not only next month or next week, but the next night.”
Why did you choose to bring your comedy club to High Street?
“I’ve been a resident of N. Scottsdale for almost five years. That’s right, I’m one of those damn snowbirds! But really, being a north-sider, we recognize, blatantly, a void in the marketplace for anything to do with nightlife, entertainment, and hospitality. The landlords of High Street and I really share the dream of this place being a beautiful hotbed strip for those to have a great evening. I was sold; on board right away.”
“By designing it this way, here at High Street, if gives people the opportunity to not have to travel all of the way Downtown Phoenix or to Old Town Scottsdale. It’s one strip. It has the ability to close off traffic and just bar hop up and down. It really reminds me of the really cool funky street areas like Gas Lamp Quarter in San Diego. It’s not fractured for people to have to drive places when trying to have a good time.
It creates energy. Soon enough High Street will become the Desert Ridge for adults.”
How did you start your career in comedy?
Well, I started a career in show business to get laid, and I’m going to stay in it until I do…But really, I started as a magician at 12-years old doing magic tricks. I was king of the gigs- should have seen all of the babes I was getting with that! At 15-years-old I started doing stand up and fell in love with it. I think that my career found me as much as I found it. I was a chubby young kid with a giant ‘fro hair cut- looked like Billy Joel ate too much cake that night. I was either going to be the goofy fat kid that got picked on or I was going to do something to deflect it, so I developed humor as my natural defense mechanism. At the same time, it also led to my career.
At 18-years-old, I finished first year of college and was getting a lot of opportunities to travel with my stand up. So, it was either, go out and pursue stand up or make my parents happy and stay in college. Well, I no longer talk to my parents…*long pause…crickets…crickets* Just kidding, talk to my parents and they’re very supportive. In my household there were three options for a job: doctor, lawyer, or a major disappointment. So I was a major disappointment until my parents moved into my casita and loved it!
I am really lucky that I was able to take a hobby and make it my career. Believe it or not, because of my ADHD, I see the world differently. It’s like dyslexia. Some of the funniest comics that I know are dyslexics. We all have skewed visions that are different and the fact that we are able to get them out of our little ADHD festive brains and deliver them to the audience is such a bonus. For me, I didn’t have to pay for a therapist; my therapy was getting up on stage.
From there, I performed all over N. America in clubs and colleges. I made so many great friends in the industry. My ADHD went crazy and I hopped in between comedy and television and started a lot of different projects. Stand up will always be my first love, but I love new opportunities. When my health was struggling, my lifestyle had to change a bit, and these comedy clubs became such a wonderful streamline for my comedy career.
How did you get back to Arizona?
I was first a snowbird and at the end of the day, I promised myself that I would never live here…this was my vacation home… but I fell in love with it. So, Arizona became my new home and my family and I are here to stay for now.
How many comedy clubs do you now own?
We have three locations and the fourth is being built right now. Here in North Scottsdale at High Street, West Edmonton Mall in Alberta, Canada, Mall of America in Minnesota, and the soon-to-be developed shopping destination The American Dream in New Jersey. I will only ever build in a high-destination area, with the world’s largest malls, that I truly believe in. And, I’m a bit metro, and let’s be real, I like to go shopping. Any place with fantastic fashion retailers is a great place to build.
What are your expectations for this comedy club?
I expect it to go really well. I go in with high expectations with our clubs. Especially here at High Street, and the way that we produce our shows so differently, we will do incredibly. We truly try to accommodate every type of demographic here for everyone to enjoy the show. We want this place to be one for the books with an incredible experience, and I am more than sure that it will be that.
