The club quickly established itself in Edmonton, attracting comedians like Norm Macdonald, Brad Garrett, Rob Schneider and Caroline Rhea. “I always thought it wasn’t about the name of the club, it was about the name on the stage because that’s who’s going to put asses in seats.”
Despite the recession, Edmonton has been a great place for comedy. “We have a lot of people in the city that want to be entertained and have no problems paying for that as long as they’re getting good value for their dollar. … The club is busy and we’re looking to open more places in different markets in Canada and the U.S.,” says Bronson.
He says it was never his intention to compete with other comedy clubs. “We had to compete with the Oilers, Eskimos and whatever was happening at the live theatres and movies.”
As a television host, writer, producer, magician, musician or MC, Bronson has worked with Bill Clinton, Martin Short, Lance Armstrong and The Apprentice producer, Mark Burnett. You would think someone with those credentials would be based out of a bigger city, but love kept Bronson in Edmonton.
In 1991, Bronson left his hometown of Montreal with the idea of heading to Vancouver and then eventually Los Angeles to pursue comedy, but he made a stop in Edmonton to perform at a club and met his future wife, Tammy MacPherson. So, his plans changed. Bronson based himself out of Edmonton and performed 40 weeks a year on the road.
“It was exhausting, but I don’t think I would have done anything else,” says Bronson. “There’s still no better high than being on stage and just crushing, having an audience in the palm of your hand. When you see people actually slapping their knees with laughter and you’re the reason, it’s pretty magical.”
For MacPherson, having her husband on the road wasn’t so difficult, at first. “It was fine when it was just me because I had always been very independent, but it became tough when our son was born,” she says. She would have liked it if Bronson were around more, but his job dictated that he toured clubs across North America – so they made it work with lots of phone time.