Brad Zimmerman turns his failure at a traditional success story into a great running joke for his one-man stand-up show, My Son the Waiter, A Jewish Tragedy. Most mothers dream of their sons becoming doctors, lawyers, businessmen. Zimmerman spent nearly three decades disappointing his mother by waiting tables. And while there is nothing shameful in that of itself, there is nothing worse than denying yourself a shot at your dream — in his case, becoming an actor — and garnering Jewish guilt.

In My Son the Waiter, Zimmerman takes us from his childhood in New Jersey to his adulthood as a professional waiter in casual restaurants. He quips that his adult life isn’t nearly as glamorous as his childhood was, when he showed some talent as an athlete. But it was acting that he really wanted to pursue. However, it wasn’t until he was in his forties that he finally pushed himself to take acting seriously. His story is interspersed with humorous anecdotes about his mother, who was actually completely supportive of her struggling son, although she expressed it in her own critical way. Zimmerman’s father was also a champion for his son, even though he sadly passed away before getting to see his emerging success. Zimmerman speaks of his father poignantly, and these bittersweet moments are wonderful.

Zimmerman’s stand-up style is calm and measured, his delivery of punchlines almost underhanded. He is great at working the crowd, even getting a little audience participation in. His jokes are kind of hit-or-miss. His mix of Catskills shtick and edgy New York wit is a bit uneven. Many of the jokes are pointed at the mostly elderly, Jewish audience and got a lot of knowing guffaws. But it isn’t all Borscht Belt humor, and any type of audience would appreciate his brand of gruff comedy. His may not be a traditional success story, but he makes the struggle sound hilarious, and totally worth it.