It’s no joke when a kid comic cracks wise onstage. Bryson Herbert is just 10 years old, but the Vail elementary school student is a fledgling stand-up. Laugh if you will but it’s not unprecedented for humorists to cut their comedic teeth early.
Dave Chappelle was working Washington, D.C., clubs at 14. Pete Davidson honed his humor at New York nightspots at 16. Bryson is on the younger side, but the youngster is undaunted.
“I like making people laugh,” Bryson said. “I like telling jokes and I like seeing people happy.”
Bryson is an eloquent, composed pre-pubescent, who has a gift for delivering silly, observational material. “I like telling stories and going to different places with the stories,” Bryson said. “I look at my day-to-day life and the funny things that happen along the way.”
Sounds like a young George Carlin. Wise beyond his years only begins to describe the playful entertainer, who also enjoys dancing, drawing and martial arts.
“I like all of those things but there is nothing like telling jokes,” Bryson said. “It’s so much fun watching people laugh.”
Bryson discovered that he had a knack for cracking people up after performing at Vail Laughs and Marana Laughs in May. “I started thinking that I could do this (comedy for a career) after I did those shows,” Bryson said.
Bryson isn’t the only person who has faith in his comedy. Randy Jenkins, who owns Vail Laughs and Marana Laughs, was taken aback by Bryson’s material, poise and timing.
“Bryson asked me if he could do a show and I asked him if he was funny,” Jenkins said. “He said, ‘My friends and family think so.’ He said he could do a seven-minute set. I let him do it and I was floored...the crowd went wild. We have a child prodigy. His delivery and confidence are so good. This is someone you should see now since 20-years from now, you’ll say, “I saw Bryson when he was a kid.”
Bryson will perform Friday, Aug. 9, at Marana Laughs and Saturday, Aug. 10, at Vail Laughs. Much credit should be given to his supportive parents, Tammy and Luke Herbert.
“Comedy is what Bryson loves so how could we not support him,” Tammy Herbert said. “Bryson took it to another level at Vail and Marana Laughs.”
Tammy Herbert recalls Bryson’s first performance in front of the family in 2023. “I remember when Bryson randomly made up two pages of jokes,” Tammy said. “He came into our family room and put on a show for us. I was like, “Wow, this is really something.”
It’s uncertain whether Bryson will stay on the comedy path but the ability to perform his material in front of an audience can only build his confidence.
“There’s no doubt that this is good for his self esteem and public speaking,” Tammy Herbert said. “It’s a great hobby at his age.”
Bryson is a stand-up fan, who enjoys the folksy material rendered by arena headlining storyteller Nate Bargatze. He also loves comedic films, particularly Adam Sandler flicks. “I love the movie about the comedian who wanted to be a hockey player,” Bryson said about “Happy Gilmore.” “I love how he (Sandler) makes jokes and how funny he is in his movies.”
Many prominent comics, such as Chris Rock, Richard Pryor and Davidson, dropped out of high school to pursue a comedy career. However, that’s not the plan for Bryson.
“I want to go to college,” he said. “I want to study performing arts. If I’m making people happy when I’m onstage, then I’m happy.”
When Bryson was asked if humor runs in his family, he was amusingly blunt. “Not really,” he said.
Tammy Herbert disagreed. Her son Russell, 23, who lives in Mesa, is funny. The matriarch of the family insists that Russell and Bryson have the same silly sensibility. And then there’s little sister, Aliva, 7. “She does knock-knock jokes and wants to get onstage with me,” Bryson said.
Bryson is as enthusiastic about his classes at Vail Innovative as he is about comedy. “I love history,” Bryson said. “I like learning about the past even though people say, ‘Let the past be the past.’ But history is interesting. It’s important to know what happened.”
The precocious and charming child is wise enough to know that one needs to know the past to chart their future. It’ll be curious to see how Bryson’s comedy develops. With the support of Bryson’s parents, who knows what will happen?
“To be able to put this together like he does, it shouldn’t be ignored,” Tammy Herbert said. “And it’s clean comedy.”
Watch out Brian Regan, Bryson will compete with you to be the king of G-rated stand-up.
Bryson Herbert
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 9
WHERE: Marana Laughs, Coyote Trail Stage, 8000 N. Silverbell Road, Marana
COST: $10; $30 for a family
INFO: 520-428-2144, maranalaughs.com
WHEN: 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 10
WHERE: Vail Theater of the Arts, 1071 E. Maryanne Cleveland Way, Tucson
COST: $10; $30 for a family
INFO: 520-428-2155,
vaillaughs.com
